Reborn as a (God)parent
by TheSilverHunt3r
Summary: Or, Reborn is Tsuna's Godfather. And takes care of Tsuna, in the aftermath of the boy escaping from the Estraneo Family. Well, this will be fun. Not bashing Iemitsu and Nana.
1. Arc 0:Renato Sinclair

Reborn is a hitman. He took out people, is another way to say it. Sometimes for cash, sometimes for favors, and for a very few jobs, for what he considered right.

You see, when Reborn was young, he grew up with the slightest idea of family, morality, and friendship, if you want the short list.

And to survive on the streets, he picked up jobs. As it turned out, he had a talent for harming people. A assassin who was settling down (it was more of a vacation then a retirement), taught him things, you can't just pick up lock picking, painting, and safe cracking on the street.

And so, as a teen, he was taught. Two masters, one assassin, one hitman, both around the same age, not that you could tell that from their faces. What would be known as the World's best.

And they found themselves on the opposite sides. So Reborn walked away from the battle with five bullets, and a want(more of a wish), to stay distant.

Now, some of you might be thinking it's terribly tragic. Do know the Reborn chose to be distant, and that he went up against his friend(possibly his best friend) for several years afterwards. Not to mention the times they worked together (forced by circumstances out of their control or repaying a favor).

Reborn was on his way to a cafe after a mission, until he spotted a kid surrounded by a gang. Brown hair, brown eyes, trembling, muttering Japanese, and was trying to get away from the gang that was currently surrounding him.

And then something happened, his brown eyes turned orange, and the pulse of flames was felt by the hitman.

And it was on that fateful day, that Renato Sinclair and Tsunayoshi Sawada met.


	2. Arc 0:Tsunayoshi Sawada

Tsunayoshi Sawada, he was clumsy, kinder, and smarter then you'd expect. He wasn't 'normal'. Most seven year olds don't know how to hack. Most eight year olds don't get kidnapped by the Mafia and haven't made their bones by that time either.

The brunette escaped, and ran. He fled from Venice to Rome during the next few months. Barely surviving, doing the odd job, learning how to trap animals, and how to pickpocket safely. He survived, and then he ran into a gang.

And cursing his uselessness out loud as the gang approached, and surrounded him in the alley, then he found the courage to face them. And his brown eyes turned orange, and he felt faster, stronger, more...alive.

So he fought the gang, getting cut across his arm, and dodging desperately from the blows. Then Tsunayoshi Sawada met Renato Sinclair.

A blur of black knocking out the men.

He was almost unconscious, just seeing a glimpse of the man wearing the black suit that came to help him.

All he heard was the grunt of the black haired Italian with curly side burns as he came to. He reenergized, by..something. It was warm, and soft, and...for some reason yellow. Which he suspected was some how connected to the man. The fedora moved away from his face as the man stepped back.

"Hello, how are you?" The brunette said nonchalantly in Italian, as if he hadn't been almost mauled by a gang. The black haired man's lips twitched up into a smirk.

"Wonderful, I'm Reborn. And what's your name?" The man asked in Japanese, his voice was deep and held a small amount of amusement.

"Call me Tsuna." Tsuna said, blinking slightly at the shift in language.

"I'm guessing you don't have a family?" A onyx eyebrow was raised in question.

"Not here." Tsuna replied evenly(or as evenly as a ten year old could).

"You're the one that escaped from the Estraneo family, correct?"

"Yes." Tsuna replied softly, stiffening up and preparing to run.

"They've been destroyed."

A expression of disbelief crossed Tsunayoshi's face.

"I was one of the few that went to take them down. Experimenting especially on children is something I am against." Reborn said, a dark gleam coming to his eyes at the thought.

"So, you mean you're not going to take me back?"

"Even if I was, there's nothing to take you back to there."

And the brunette burst into tears.


	3. Arc 1:Mission 1 Part 1

Dwayne Ayer, a simple, trusted man, who was rumored to deal with some of the more unsavory underground types. Terrorists, gangs, corrupt government agents looking to destroy people's careers and lives.

Whenever Reborn went on a mission, he would always leave Tsuna behind. The brunette was trained, but Tsuna hadn't been in a dangerous situation since he started being taken care of by Reborn.

But eventually Reborn decided Tsuna would have to go along.

Tomorrow night, he would be gathering information on someone who was selling sensitive government and mafia information. The man was also suspected of selling weapons to gang members. His name was Dwayne Ayer.

"Tsuna," Reborn started, closing his eyes briefly before continuing. "Would you be up for a mission?"

"What is it about?" Tsuna asked, a slight frown slipping on his face. The brunette sat uneasily on the couch.

"Gathering information about the dealings of a man named Dwayne Ayer. He's suspected of getting several people killed, one by selling sensitive information, and two by selling weapons. We'd be sneaking into a meeting between him and several buyers."

"He's getting people killed, for money, right?" Tsuna asked, biting his lip, his Hyper Intuition was acting up, and his eyes were orange.

"Yes." Reborn replied, looking and meeting Tsuna's orange eyes from under his fedora.

"Then I'll do it." Tsuna said quietly.

Reborn placed his hand on the brunette's head.

A glint of concern was present in Reborn's eyes as his lips parted slightly to say something before they closed.

Reborn sighed quietly, sitting down, before wrapping his arms around Tsuna and hugging the brunette.

Tsuna relaxed.

He trusted him, and that was the truth. He was either like his father, his uncle,.or his older brother. And Tsuna had never been ableto decide between which Reborn was, until now.

Reborn was too old to be his brother and Tsuna already had a Dad even if his dad wasn't always there.

 _Uncle._


	4. Arc 1:Mission 1 Part 2

Reborn narrowed his eyes, they were getting a weapon shipment out now. And Ayer was going to sell the merchandise to the buyers.

"Leon." Reborn said quietly, the chameleon turned into his gun which he held to the side in case something happened.

He wasn't going to kill them...but things happen. And being caught unaware is what Reborn considered his most annoying bane.

The men finished, Reborn had taken pictures with a small camera of his, enough to send Dwayne Ayer to jail, or to have the local mafia family (who hired him) take care of Ayer and his buyers. Whoever got to Ayer first. This job was to have Ayer and co. get caught by the police with enough evidence to convict, or to have Ayer and co. taken care of personally by the mafia family. What ends up happening will most likely be a mixture of the two, but whoever gets Ayer is up for grabs.

Reborn and Tsuna rendezvous outside in the forest. Reborn takes out the car keys and opens the sports car. The trail is rutted but useable. The surrounding forest are pine trees, pine needles covering the ground in a thick carpet.

"How was it?" Reborn asks, starting the car.

"It was...better then I expected.. what do you usually do?"

"What I do depends on the circumstances and the people that hire me. A lot of my jobs, I do kill people." Tsuna's face was troubled.

"But then, I also save the people who would get hurt by the people I killed. Some I kill to save my life, some I kill for favors, and some are for money. But I always look at how their deaths affect the people they know. Killing a good man for money, especially if he has a family, is something I do not approve of." Reborn said, his mouth twitching down into a frown at the end.

"There are lots of jobs in the underworld, I chose to stay in the Mafia. The Mafia has alliances, and the more honorable ones keep their word. It's much more forward, then say, the spy's world. They're multi sided, and if they've been around for awhile, they are without a doubt dangerous.

"The hacker world is intricate, and has three main areas, government, self, and underground. The hackers that are dangerous can mix between the three, but usually stay in one."

"Thieves and conmen, you can't fit in any category aside from idiotic and smart. The ones that get caught robbing grocery stores, and the ones that did or almost did get away with robbing high end stores, artifacts and paintings from museums, and banks."

"Then you have the killers:hitmen, contract killers, and assassins. We are similar, but there are differences, hitmen tend to stay within alliances and groups, contractors are inthe open market, and assassins usually kill for political, or moral reasons. Got it?" Reborn asks, glancing over at the brunette.

Tsuna nodded, biting his lip in thought.

"Good." The Italian said. Reborn pulled his fedora down to hide his face more. He had a reason to be paranoid, being a hitman tended to not go over well with most.


	5. Arc 1:Mission 1 Part 3

Tsuna woke up trembling in his bed. The brunette shifted around in his cocoon of blankets.Hesitantly one foot was placed on the floor, the other following.

Tsuna crept down the hallway and turned the door knob.

The black fedora was placed on the night stand, and Leon was curled around a bed post.

Tsuna crawled into Reborn's bed.

The brunette shifted closer slowly. Large eyes blinking as they looked at the features of the sleeping Italian.

Tsuna crept up near Reborn's chest then half curled into a ball. "Good night." Tsuna whispered.

An onyx eye opened, his lip slightly curled up as he sighed softly. Tsuna had already fallen asleep againstReborn.

Reborn's arm curled around Tsuna. The hitman muttered under his breath about 'annoying brats' before placing his chin over the brunette's head.

"G'night."


	6. Arc 2:Hacker

Ivan Chernoff, a teen with blue eyes, black hair, rode a motorcycle, had three ear piercings, and commonly wore a black coat. He was a Russian hacker by the name of Ivrek.

As it turned out, there was a group of hackers interested in Tsuna. Or more specifically, two hackers that are in the group, and are a friend of Reborn's.

And yes, one was Ivrek AKA Ivan Chernoff. Who lived in Moscow, Russia, and yes, he did have dealings with the Russian Mafia. That's how he ran into Reborn one day.

Moving on, the group was called Black Lights, and they currently were looking for people to train.

The two people(hackers), Ivan, and the person who I can only call Q(due to security reasons), were looking for possible recruits, Black Light had talented people and had managed to stay off the government radar pretty well. Due to this, the standards were quite high.

Ivan found Tsuna, and Q...found the next Q(who'd become known as R first).

How would Ivan and Tsuna meet if Ivan is a hacker?

Easy, a failed mission, you may be thinking.

Do take into account, that after a high caliber job you need several days, to even weeks to recuperate. And laying low after a very attention catching job(if your description is circulating this will apply), sometimes for months, is protocol even if nothing goes wrong.

Reborn called up a contact. Which led to Reborn and Tsuna traveling to Ivan's house. A plain brown house, with two stories, and a basement.

They holed up for most of the year due to winter. Note:Moral of European history, one does not simply walk into Russia in the winter.

And during that time, Ivan was teaching Tsuna the basics of how to hack.

Which led to Tsuna becoming a hacker about 4 years later, known as Hacker 27 or BloodOath, and eventually joined the Black Lights group. Ivan continued teaching Tsuna whenever the brunette was in the world.

Reborn knocked on the oak door lightly. It was opened by a blue eyed man.

"Ciao(hello) Renato." The black haired Russian said. He appeared to not be phased by the appearance of his friend. From how composed he was it seemed more like he had known Reborn and Tsuna were outside before he opened the door.

"Caos(chaos),ciao Ivan." Reborn replied.

"Come inside, da(yes)? I doubt you want to freeze." Ivan said, taking a few steps inside.

"I would prefer not to." Reborn said, a slight smirk on his face as he stepped inside.

Ivan chuckled, and headed down the hall. A living room walled with oak wood panels, which contained a couch, a coffee table, a few scattered chairs, and a tv.

The black haired man headed to the kitchen next to the living room. The smell of brewing coffee carried into the living room. Reborn and Tsuna sat down.

Ivan walked back into the living room and spotted Tsuna who was sitting next to Reborn.

"Ahh, hello little one." Ivan said, waving lightly at the child.

"What are you doing with ahh, I can not think of the word, ребёнок(child)? Ivan said, gesturing to the brunette.

"I found him on the streets in Italy. I've been taking care of him."

Ivan smiled. "Nice to know you still have aсéрдце(heart), Renato." He said with a laugh.

Reborn rolled his eyes.

"What is your name?" Ivan asked.

"Tsunayoshi." The brunette managed, mentally jumping for joy that he didn't stutter, which was a bad habit of his.

"A pleasure to meet you. My name is Ivan Chernoff." The black haired man said with a grin.


	7. Arc 2:Realtor

Issac Valia, a calm black haired man of Hispanic and French descent, who was a realtor in Italy. He was involved in the Mafia, and was allied to the Chavallone. And he was supposed to be showing a apartment to a prospective buyer.

He opened the door. When he saw the black fedora with orange, curly sideburns, and face of Italian descent, he sighed. He was all and all, a very blasé man who took over the business from his father. He may not have had dealings with Arcobaleno, but being scared of people was not in his nature. He had morals, he had a family, and had too many brushes with death to care.

"Hello, welcome. You are Mister Sinclair, I presume."

"Chaos. Yes, I am, it's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Valia. Tsuna, say hello."

A older child looked at Isaac. The brunette was standing slightly behind and to the side of the hitman. The small kid's hesitancy alerted Valia's fatherly instincts to act calm.

"Hi." He said hesitantly.

"Hello, your name's Tsuna?" Valia said. A large smile was on his face.

"Tsunayoshi." The brunette said, smiling a bit, he could tell the realtor was what he would describe as a 'nice person.' The man's smile was real, he could feel it.

"It's nice to meet you. We'll proceed with our tour then." Valia said with a smile.

"Don't wander off Tsuna." Reborn warned Tsunayoshi.

The house was a two story apartment, two bedrooms, one bath, a kitchen, and living room.

After their departure, Valia chuckled at the mental sight of Reborn taking care of a child. And if he was right in who the child was related to...well. He was sure Reborn could handle it. Sinclair always had before. And if he wasn't then maybe some advice could help. Good thing he gave his realtor card. He always picked up every call on his cell phone after all.

 _At ilovecartoons: Yup, Ivan is nice. Thanks.  
_

 _At Foxluna:You are the reason I'm posting this chapter early. You made me grin. And yes, Reborn and co. are badly influencing him._

 _-Silver_


	8. Arc 2:Baker

"Eggs, flour, vanilla extract, sugar, butter..." Reborn says, reading off the list of ingredients. His fedora was on a chair next to the counter, exposing spiky black hair, Leon curled up on his shoulder. He was wearing black slacks, and a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

The ingredients on the counter were growing steadily as Tsunayoshi carried them over from around the kitchen.

The brunette's hair was a chocolate color and gravity defying now that it was a bit longer. He was wearing grey slacks, a black shirt, and a partially zipped orange hoodie.

Reborn started measuring and mixing the ingredients. And as time went on, the ingredients were used and put away. The mixture went into a cake pan, and into the oven.

Reborn sat next to Tsuna at the counter top. Reborn and Tsuna were licking the spatulas, the chocolate mix dripping down. Tsuna tipped his spatula back and forth quickly, while Reborn raised an eyebrow at the brunette's antics as he licked his own spatula calmly.

"That reminds me, if a woman with pink hair offers you food, never eat it." Reborn said, pausing in licking the chocolate on a spoon.

"Why?" The curious child asked.

"She's an assassin, her name's Bianchi, her cooking is poisonous." Reborn said blandly.

"Oh. How did you meet?"

"That's a story I do not want to get into." Reborn said with a pokerface, mentally facepalming at the memory. Tsuna nodded with a quizzical look.

Tsuna colored while Reborn went through job offers. It was the hitman's favorite part of the day

After some time, the cake was done. While it was cooling, Reborn made the frosting.

"Can I help stir?" Looking down at the large brown eyes, Reborn resigned himself. The hitman stood the brunette on a stool. Eagerly, the kid stirred until his arms hurt. Which didn't take long. With a smirk, Reborn took over the stirring.

When the cake was cool, Reborn spread the icing. Two candles were placed in the cake, and blown out. The chocolate cake was sliced.

"Happy birthday." Tsuna said with a smile. "Happy birthday." Reborn returned. Until he found out who Tsuna was, they'd share the same birthday.

Reborn's face darkened at his train of thought. He should contact Shamal soon. But for the moment...

Reborn suppressed a smile as he tickled an unsuspecting brunette. Tsuna squirmed to get away as he laughed.

It's short once again. Enjoy the fluff, the next arc will officially be starting next chap.

-Silver


	9. Arc 3:Doctor

Tsuna sat next to Reborn. The child was happily drawing on a sheet of paper with crayons.

Various doodles of people and places mixed with mind contorting designs in a range of colors from Prussian blue to Creamshell white.

While Tsuna was having fun, Reborn was not.

Someone had landed some good hits on the man's leg. By good, Reborn meant his leg was probably broken. He was the world's best hitman, but unlike popular belief, he wasn't invincible.

Reborn could heal his leg without help. Yet if he does, it could be healed wrong. The raven hated being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Thus the hitman conceded that he'd have to track down the one man who he'd relatively trust to not poison him.

A text, some negotiations, and payment to Mammon ended up with Reborn having the man's location and status.

XXX

Doctors' major annoyances often consisted of patients pointing out something bothering them during the appointment. Its nice to know about such things, before the appointment. (This message has been brought to you by all doctors who do check ups.)

Shamal was having a good day. No overly pesky patients. No one who just suddenly said something like 'I'd like you to look at this growth on my shoulder'. That person made him fifteen minutes late for the rest of the day. (Also, it was a pretty disgusting parasitic fungus. It made him cringe whenever he thought of that thing.)

Shamal was checking through the rooms. It was his duty to lock up the clinic today. Shamal clicked off the lights and crossed the corridor to the next room.

Something wasn't right in this room. Shamal quickly flipped on the lights. On the table sat a hitman, who smirked unbridled.

The black of his suit camouflaged the splattered blood from unobservant eyes. The tip of Leon's tail peeked out from behind the hitman's neck. The placement of the animal caused Shamal to notice the blood on the usually spotless collar.

The mangled state of the man's leg drew the doctor's attention. The pant leg had been slitted by knives and showed some of the red streaked skin.

Shamal kept his distance with the wariness of a bug in front of a chameleon.

Then Shamal noticed the child drawing beside the hitman. The doctor froze and decided that it would be best for his health to ignore the kid as long as possible.

"Cat got your tongue, Shamal?" Reborn taunted. The hitman drew the doctor's attention back to the most dangerous person in the room.

"I don't treat men...?" Shamal clumsily attempted to get out of whatever he got into. Reborn gave the doctor a exasperated glare.

Shamal stumbled into it, but it was Reborn who put the brick there.

Shamal reluctantly walked over to the hitman. The sickly sweet scent of blood and gunpowder residue hit Shamal's nostrils.

Shamal narrowed his eyes. "Put your leg up on the table."

There was no noticeable change in Reborn's movements unless you were quite experienced in body language. To Shamal, the stiffness screamed pain and a fracture.

Shamal was about to start checking out Reborn's injuries, then remembered the child. "Do you want the kid to see all this?" Shamal remarked.

"Tsuna, look away." Reborn ordered. The brunette nodded and focused on his drawings. Shamal shook off the deja vu that came over him at the child's name.

Shamal cut away the pant fabric up to the knee. Several cuts ran horizontally across the lower part of Reborn's peroneus longus. *

Blood sluggishly wept from the shallow cuts. Shamal cleaned and swabbed the leg with a disinfectant.

The doctor drummed his fingers on the reclining table in thought. "Let's see where's the fracture...ah ha, bruise." Shamal muttered to himself.

Shamal sighed, "I doubt you're going to allow me to x-ray you." "Correct." Reborn dryly agreed.

"I'm going to perform surgery. Are you suffering from Flame exhaustion?" Shamal questioned.

"No." Reborn blandly responded.

"Drugs?" Shamal continued his interrogation. "A lot of pain medication. I don't need more."

"Alright." Shamal acknowledged, a scapel formed in his hands.

Shamal sighed. "Remember not to talk about this, I'm trying to not get fired for malpractice."

Reborn held his tongue. It wasn't wise to provoke your surgeon right before they cut you open, only quip after they operate on you.

Shamal made three steady cuts along one side of the bruise. Shamal carefully lifted the skin to reveal the muscle below. Storm Flames slowly burned away muscle, regardless Reborn didn't flinch.

"You're lucky it wasn't a open fracture." Shamal commented.

Shamal concentrated on his Mist flames. A contructed piece of bone grew to bridge the fracture.

"I'm going to build layers of the muscle and nerves. I need you to speed up the process of healing to fill in the layers." Shamal reminded.

The hitman sat up. Reborn smirked, "I know. " Shamal dramatically shrugged, "just making sure."

Shamal contructed the sheets of muscle and nerves. Sun flames slowly creeped up after the doctor finished each layer.

The two men were absorbed in their work. It took a fine tuned flame user to do such a job.

Tsuna finished his drawing and started to watch. The brunette was interested by the flickering yellow and the red that slowly grew.

Reborn noticed and gave a reprimanding glare. "Look away, Tsuna." The brunette stuck out his tongue but looked away.

Eventually, Shamal judged that the leg looked normal. "Looks good." Shamal declared.

Shamal flipped the flap of skin over the wound. Reborn's Sun flames sealed the edges with skin.

Reborn took his leg off the table and put some weight on it. Reborn smirked and nodded, "good as new."

"Keep an eye on him." Reborn ordered and then headed to the bathroom to change.

Shamal awkwardly smiled at the child. "Errr, hi."

"Hello." The brunette cheerfully replied with a smile.

Shamal tucked his hand under his chin in thought. "Hmm. I've dated enough women to recognize that you're kinda cute." The doctor admitted.

"You'll be a real charmer when you grow up, kid." Shamal commented approvingly.

"You think he'll be better with women then you?" Reborn teasingly contemplated. Shamal jumped.

"I'm great with women." Shamal argued. Reborn gave the doctor a look of utter disbelief.

"Anyways, I need you to do a paternity test for me." Reborn 'proposed.'

"Paternity? I'd need blood, hair, or..." Shamal's trailed off as Reborn merely smirked in response.

Reborn withdrew a bag from inside a blazer pocket. Two strands of hair were inside, one blond and one brown.

Shamal accepted defeat and took the bag. "I'll send it to a friend of mine."

XXX

Shamal read over the email. The doctor sighed and reached for his phone. Reborn's phone number was tapped in.

"The test result was positive." Shamal informed his client.

Shamal decided that putting his foot in his mouth was better then not saying anything. "Iemitsu has spent the past month tearing apart Europe to look for his son. Vongola is on the brink of war with sixteen famiglias. The Estraneo were obliterated overnight by the CEDEF in a failed bid to find the kid."

"I've kept up with the news. What are you getting at?" Reborn casually replied with boredom.

"Reborn, even you should be wary. Iemitsu is not Iemitsu right now. The Lion of Vongola is ready lash out." Shamal bluntly warned.

Reborn rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Being so serious is not like you, don't worry. I'll deal with it."

"I'm not worried about you, I'm concerned about the kid. He's caught in the middle of this." Shamal shot back. The doctor sighed. "This may blow up in your face."

Reborn's voice turned threatening. "I already told you I'd deal with it."

"You're not invincible or all knowing." Shamal brazenly reminded.

Reborn took a deep breath. "I never claimed to be." The hitman calmly replied, then hung up.

A/N

* Peroneus longus, is a superficial muscle in the lateral compartment of the leg, and acts to evert and plantarflex the ankle.

So...Shamal broke some rules regarding the surgery. From not having his patient unconscious to not taking an x-ray. However, Reborn doesn't allow himself to be doped up or given morphine, an x-ray in the hospital Shamal works at would be a bad idea, and Sun flames heals even mortal wounds.

In other words, it's plausible for Shamal and Reborn to do what they did.

-Silver


	10. Arc 3:Grandfather

Nana poked her head into the living room. Iemitsu and Tsuna were playing together on the carpet.

"I'm going to a spa, would you mind taking Tsuna with you?" The mother asked.

Iemitsu bit his lip in thought. Luckily, his work wouldn't be dangerous today. "Alright, dear."

"Thanks sweetie." Nana replied.

XXX

An hour or so later, Iemitsu and Tsuna slid into the back of grey fiat panda car.

"Iemitsu." Lal Mirch greeted. "Hello Lal." The blond replied.

"We're meeting with Nono, you'll like him." Iemitsu promised Tsuna.

The former Comsubin member twisted her head to see the two in the back. "Who's the kid?"

"He's my son. Don't go spreading it around."

"What? Did you marry the mother?" Lal asked in shock.

Iemitsu disapprovingly looked at his Rain. "I was married to her before."

Lal Mirch winced slightly. "Sorry. Congrats on the your marriage and kid."

The Rain turned to Tsuna. "What's your name?"

"I'm T-Tsuna." The boy replied shyly.

"It's nice to meet you Tsuna. I'm Lal Mirch, I work with your dad." Lal replied, and started the car.

XXX

The meeting place was an apartment complex owned by the CEDEF. The inside was soft yellows and chairs and hard brown and wood.

The windows and balcony showed an excellent view of the Tyrrhenian Sea. A table was set in the sunlight, around the circle were two brown chairs with yellow cushions. On the table, a few plates of sweet temptingly sat next to two pitchers of coffee and sugar. Around the coffee jug, small containers of sugar and milk lay.

In one of the chairs, a old gentlemen sipped a cup of tea. A weathered cane leaned against the table.

"Tsuna, this is your grandpa Nono." Iemitsu introduced.

Nono smiled kindly. "I met you when you were younger, so you probably don't remember. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too." Tsuna politely responded.

"I hear you like to draw?" Nono enquired.

"Yes, I do." The kid shyly admitted.

Iemitsu softly grinned. "You can draw on the table inside, Tsuna-fish." "Okay, dad." The small brunette started to walk inside.

Nono glanced at Iemitsu to get the man's permission. At the CEDEF leader's nod, the old man offered, "would you like to try some cannoli?"

Tsuna turned on his heel and then to his dad, at the nod, the child happily accepted the sweet.

"Thanks, grandpa." Tsuna said and scurried inside, eager to draw. The two men smiled wryly at Nono's suddenly bestowed title.

After a few minutes passed, there was a cautious, wide eyed, bite into the chocolate shell. "It's good." The kid muttered to himself.

Tsuna nibbled on the chocolate cannoli. Vibrant swirls of color covered the paper underneath his hand that held a marker.

In the background was the opposite of of a young child who was absorbed in his own world. The boy's dad and grandfather respectively drank coffee or tea, and discussed mafia business in low voices.

Tsuna was concerned when a line was shaky or went astray. The men's problems were of a far greater and more terrible impact. For them it was not their own satisfaction that was at stake, it was their lives and the lives of their friends.

XXX  
Nono had a problem he was thinking over. He had many problems and many enemies and not many solutions.

Estraneo was becoming a thorn in his side. If the Estraneo became stronger, the death toll would be heavy. Vongola should not publically destroy the good graces attributed towards it's name or appear as spoiling for a fight.

The Estraneo Family must be wiped out without the slightest root left. There lied the problem. The Estraneo needed to commit an act against Vongola.

Nono smiled sadly, alone in his office he hatched a scheme. The Ninth knew the perfect plan. Although the consequences would be terrible if things went wrong. He already regretted what he had decided to do.

XXX

The main office of CEDEF's leader could be described as such:plants covered the window sills, you saw more of the brown shelves stuffed with books then the yellow walls, and the black chairs were sometimes compared by subordinates to sitting on a cloud.

The only unfortunate aspect of the room was during the summer. Mr. Sawada fanned himself with a hand as he took off his jacket. "We really need to get something for the heat. I'll text Oregano." Iemitsu decided.

The blonde searched his jacket pockets for his phone. "Ah." Iemitsu pulled out his phone and a folded up piece of paper.

"What's this?" A blond eyebrow was raised in confusion. He placed the phone on his desk.

Iemitsu unfolded and smoothed out the piece of paper. It was a colorful pinwheel, surrounded by blue sky and puffy white clouds. "Oh, I remember now. Tsuna gave it to me after the meeting with Nono." The man murmured to himself.

Iemitsu flipped the picture over. Four cartoony faces of Nana, Tsuna, Nono, and him stared back. "He's a good drawer." The CEDEF leader chuckled.

"Oh, I can't help falling in love with you~" The words and tune echoed clearly through Iemitsu's office. The ringtone jolted the man out of his thoughts and into picking up the phone.

"Hello, darling." Iemitsu greeted.

"Iemitsu, I can't find Tsuna." At those tearful words, a torrent of dread filled the man.

XXX  
Nono frowned. The CEDEF leader had come to his office.

Iemitsu was haggard looking. The blond's skin tanned brown, his eyes underlined by purple bags, and his lips chapped.

"Tsuna disappeared." Came the heavy words, like a death peal.

"Iemitsu, I'm so sorry. How's Nana doing?" The honeyed words fell from the old man's lips.

XXX  
A deathly calm Iemitsu stalked into the Ninth's office. The blond did not look any better then he had the day before. Dead eyes, a disheartened frown, and pale skin.

It looked like Iemitsu had gotten some good sleep over the past few days, and for that Nono was thankful. The health of Iemitsu was a concern for Nono. The blond was practically a son to him and was a very good Advisor.

"I wiped out the entire Estraneo family tonight." Iemitsu stated.

The Advisor collapsed into a chair. The blond's suit jacket was still smattered with ash. He smelled of burnt wood, steel, and blood. Nono made a mental note to get the chair cleaned.

Nono sighed. "I know. Did you find Tsunayoshi?" The old man asked.

Iemitsu frowned. "No."

Nono furrowed his eyebrows. "Then what is the reason for your decrease in sadness?"

"I found three kids. A Mist, a Sun, and a Rain...I'm happy they're out of such a place." Iemitsu commented.

Nono took a sip from the cup on his desk. "Will you be taking care of them?"

"There's no going back to regular life for them." Iemitsu grimly affirmed. Then the CEDEF leader snorted, a smile on his face. "Basil is already acting like their big brother."

A brief nostalgic smile lit up the Ninth's face. The smile became a frown, Nono contemplatively looked at the ceiling. "Do you think you can handle three more junior members?"

Iemitsu narrowed his eyes at the Ninth. "It won't be just me. All of the CEDEF keep an eye on juniors. They're under Basil and Lal's orders."

Nono sighed. "Ah, of course. Don't take my failing memory as an offense. I'm getting too old for remembering things."

Iemitsu icily smiled, "none taken. Speaking of 'taken'. You were responsible for Tsuna being taken, weren't you?"

Nono flinched in surprise. "What?"

Iemitsu tapped his fingers thoughtfully on the arm of his chair. "There were a few Estraneo...guests under my care."

"Ah. I leaked information through my moles in Estraneo. They told me a Sky child was transferred from Sicily to Venice. The child escaped a few days...but you already figured that out." Nono carefully chose his words as he admitted his involvement.

Iemitsu shook his head. "Why?" A plaintive note crept into the father's voice.

"It was the only way I thought of to defeat the Estraneo. The goal was the least amount of casualties from our side." Nono slowly replied.

Iemitsu bitterly chuckled."Is that a good enough reason? Was it worth it?"

Nono sighed, a low despairing sound. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to release the knot of exhaustion and guilt in his head. "I don't know."

A/N  
Happy Valentine's Day!  
I'm not trying to paint Nono as unfeeling. The don weighed the risks and rewards. (It was a horrible thing to do though.) He planned for Tsuna to be discovered in two days. But Tsuna was moved and then escaped before the rescue came.

Replies:  
bloodshound:Yup.  
See...It's not Iemitsu's fault. Proper security? Doesn't work when your Boss/friend is setting you up.  
ilovecartoonsgirl:Somewhat. Reborn is-I would say, but spoilers. You'll have to wait.  
-Silver


	11. Arc 3:Parents

Palermo, Italy

The market was full of colorful fabrics, intricate trinkets, vibrant fruits, and the salty smell of seafood.

Nana was on a shopping trip, Lal Mirch and Tsuna right beside her. The two women chatted about good but rarely visited tourist attractions and whether the items they looked over were fairly priced or a ripoff.

Lal Mirch turned around. "Tsuna?" The former solider called, a sense of urgency in her question.

"I don't see him." Lal reported. "I don't either." Nana responded with worry.

Lal Mirch started to walk away. The ex-COMSUBIN member's eyes were already sharp and ready to hunt through a ten mile radius. "I'll start searching."

"You think I can shop with my child missing, my friend? We'll search together." The brunette mother insisted. "And I'll call Iemitsu if we can't find Tsuna in an hour."

Lal tilted his head, considering. An hour should be enough time to find the lost child. "Agreed."

The two women walked through crowded stores, overflowing plazzas, and silent alleys. They were desperate for a glimpse of fluffy brown hair or the orange jacket Tsuna wore that day.

The span of an hour passed, Nana and Lal Mirch had come up with nil.

Nana punched in a familiar number. "Hello Darling." Iemitsu greeted. The voice brought a small amount of comfort and a smile to Nana's lips.

The mother took a breath to stop herself from sounding hysterical. "Iemitsu, I can't find Tsuna."

XXX

Iemitsu sat in his office. His elbows propped on the cherry wood desk. His cold hands folded, eyes narrowed, and signature foolish smile missing from his lips. Instead, a dark frown sat, a sign of Iemitsu's unusual seriousness that came with disasters.

Gathered in the room, aside from Mace, were all of his senior members that were in Italy. The members noted the frown and grim aura which their boss gave off.

"Someone has kidnapped my son, Tsuna. He disappeared yesterday afternoon in a Palermo market place."

The blond announced to shocked faces that quickly schooled themselves into small frowns or neutral expressions.

Oregano spoke up. Her gaze had turned steely with the mention of Iemitsu's child being involved. "Suspected groups?" Asked woman with glasses.

Iemitsu nodded in acknowledgment and answered. "The Estraneo, Rosso, Tetarossa, and Families, respectively." Several of those present jotted down the names.

Basil raised a hand. Iemitsu smiles. "Yes, Basil?" "Time of disappearance?" The teenager questioned.

"Four hours and thirty minutes ago. The specifics are in the files on the coffee table. I apologize, I forgot to have them handed out." Iemitsu admitted with a cough to hide his awkwardness.

The files were quickly passed along to all those in the room. Iemitsu closed his eyes while his subordinates did so.

When he opened them, the usual fire burned. The dullness from grief was covered with the confidence of a poker player going all in with a royal flush. "Everyone, the game is afoot. I know that you will do your best."

XXX.

A young teenager attempted to deal with his feelings outside in the office hall. CEDEF members slowly spilled out as they chatted amongst the low murmur of voices.

Basil couldn't squash the feelings of jealousy that continued to well up. He was an orpan who had been taken in by the CEDEF don. He wasn't blood related to anyone around him, the CEDEF wasn't family.

"He looked so worried." Basil bitterly murmered.

Cumin gave Basil a cutting look. "That's because he cares...like he does about you, idiot."

"What?" Basil disbelievingly peered at the apprentice Mist. The girl stuck out her tongue at the older boy.

"You're his apprentice and his son too. He'd go up against anyone if it meant keeping you safe." Oregano affirmed. The women pushed up her slipping glasses with a finger.

"Huh? You're joking." Basil retorted, as politely as he could. The teenager barely managed to keep his tone even, but ranting against Boss's right hand was a bad idea.

Turmeric shook his head. "No. She's not. You're unfairly jealous."

Paprika was not visible nor very loud. Yet everyone in the room heard the Mist. "His love for his wife and Tsuna does not detract from his love for you, Basil." She scolded.

Basil dropped his gaze. "I'm sorry...I just, don't believe you guys. I'm an orphan, I don't have a family. I don't have anyone who really cares for me." The teen stewed in his gloomy thoughts. Those around him flinched, gawked, or frowned in response.

Basil himself flinched, as a firm hand landed on his shoulder. The teen turned his head to see the person.

Iemitsu stood behind Basil, a pained look on the man's face. There was once again that out of place frown and crease between his eyebrows.

"You're wrong. You're as much as my son as Tsuna is, Basil. Cumin, Turmeric, Parsley, and all the others are your brothers, sisters, aunts, and uncles. You have a family, we care."

Basil had a lump in his throat. He could barely see past the tears that welled up in his eyes. The teenager refused to cry and son like a child in front of the other members. All of those present noted the glisten of tears.

Iemitsu smiled softly. "Don't let your fear distract you from the truth, Basil."

XXX

Lab 1:Oregano, Cumin, and Parsley. Oregano lead the operation, as the highest ranking member (Iemitsu's right hand).

Lab 2:Iemitsu's Cloud had decided to show up for once, most likely because the man had a son himself. Due to his abilities, Trefoil-more likely known to the reader as Hibari-was given Lab 2.

Lab 3:Iemitsu, Basil, and Paprika. Quite obviously, Iemitsu lead the operation. Basil was there to learn how CEDEF conducted raids.

Lab 4:Holly-Iemitsu's Sun and strongest Element-took Lab 4. Tracking down his Sun took Iemitsu a while, the CEDEF had a theory that Holly was actually a Cloud due to the man's aloofness.

Lal Mirch and Turmeric were handling the senior business members of the Estraneo.

XXX

Iemitsu stalked through the laboratory. Mist flames hide him and the two members of CEDEF at his back.

He paused. His HI buzzed slightly to signal the edge of illusion and the figure in it. Iemitsu felt the edges of the illusion and rejected it.

The blond man froze. Three children crept through the hall. One was obviously the Mist responsible for the illusion.

The two CEDEF members looked to their unmoving leader. The man quickly gestured for Basil to 'illusion-Basil-silent-grab-child-three-there'. The teenager gave a quick nod of acknowledgment.

A quick set of gestures were directed to Paprika. The female Mist extended the illusion to cancel out sound in order to account for the undoubtedly scared children.

Basil followed his mentor's instructions and reached out into what looked like thin air. Basil rejected the illusion and grabbed hold of the shoulder of a dark blue haired child. The illusion created by the child broke.

The other two children turned around and whimpered. The blue haired child turned his head and tried to bite Basil's hand.

"We are here to destroy Estraneo. We're not here to hurt you." Basil assured the children. The trio warily looked at the teen.

"We?" One of the children questioned. The leader of the CEDEF gestured to Paprika to allow the children to see him.

"Yes, we." Iemitsu answered, his sudden appearance shocked the children. "Basil, take care of the kids."

"But-" Basil tried to argue.

The blond man sighed. "No, Basil. Now, pineapple, you're the Mist?" The kid in question bristled at the nickname. Iemitsu snorted, a smile twitched onto the his face. "You have enough flames to keep up an illusion?"

The pineapple still looked affronted, but affirmed his status with a "yes."

Iemitsu nodded. "Kids, head to the entrance. Basil will protect you."

Basil bit his lip. "But-"

The leader of the CEDEF looked at his apprentice with mild exasperation. "Basil, enough. You have a job. An important one at that."

"We'll see you later, when we're home." Paprika quietly promised.

"Yeah." Basil mellowly replied.

The teen lifted his head, a steely look had entered his eyes. "I'll take care of them."

XXX

Summary of subject 638

Name:Tsunayoshi Sawada

Age:8

Relatives:Iemitsu Sawada (father), Mrs. Sawada (mom), Ieyasu Sawada/Vongola Primo (ancestor)

Flame:Sky

Venice Lab

Floor:C

Room:24

Note:Transferred from Sicily to Venice

Iemitsu skimmed through the papers. Eventually, the details of daily examinations and minor experimentations grew agitating. The man flipped the last report.

Report XX/XX/XX

Subject 638 escaped. A unit is in pursuit.

Report XX/XX/XX

Subject 638 has evaded capture. According to Unit G-5, subject disappeared in Rome.

Tsuna had escaped and then disappeared. By now he could be dead. Iemitsu clenched the side of the table.

Time to take care of the Estraneo members. The father could use a fight to take his mind off of things. His search could also benefit from loosening the tongues of some researchers.

XXX

The leader of the CEDEF watched the corpses of Estraneo members burn. Black and red crawled along the white coats of the heinous researchers.

Orange flames danced around the unusually solemn man. He had lost his son, so the upper echelons of Estraneo had lost their lives.

Of course, it was all a game being played by many players. Think more of a chess game played between a hundred sides all around the world.

Iemitsu was not a pawn, he was a bit more valuable then that. He was a horse, irregular movements and nonsensical moves with a strategic end.

The king knew just how to order his troops. His heir the queen, two bishops as spare heirs, and the other horse was the Varia.

A new piece had been to the game. A pawn named Tsuna. If it made it, it could become whatever piece it liked.

The pawn was put in a position to be sacrificed by the king. The pawn may be a pawn to the king, but the pawn was not just a pawn to the horse. Thus the horse would not allow the pawn to be sacrificed.

XXX

Nana put the groceries on the kitchen counter. She walked past the living room, planning to walk upstairs.

From the corner of her eye, she saw something that was brown. The dark brown stood out, as all the wood in the room was made of soft maple.

Nana looked into the living room.

A brunette child sat quietly on a grey couch. It had to be a hallucination, right?

The raven in a suit who stood in a corner was unnoticed by the shocked mother.

"Tsuna?" Nana whispered.

"Mom!" The child jumped off the couch and ran over to her.

The two hugged, a hug that assured Nana that her son wasn't a illusion or hallucination. For a solid three minutes, the mother held the child who had almost been lost to her forever, and cried.

"Are you sad?" The curious Tsuna asked, his eyes wide at the tears that streamed down his Mom's face.

Nana shook her head, a beaming smile on her face. "No, I'm happy. I'm just so happy."

Finally, the mother ran out of tears. When she did so, Tsuna squirmed out of the hug and tugged off his backpack. In the small notebook that Tsuna pulled out, were dozens of drawings.

"I saw a lot mom. I drew them so you could see. Lots of trees, it's called a for-forest. A cake, a river, and a cit-cityscape. A butterfly, a garden, and a struh-stream." Tsuna stumbled over some words, but managed to say them correctly.

The little boy looked up. "Do you like them Mom?" A blaze of hope shown in his eyes. "Yes, I do. Very much." Nana replied and hugged the boy.

"Tsuna, how did you get here?" The mother asked.

The child cocked his head. "Reborn helped me."

"Reborn? You mean...Renato?" Nana questioned with puzzlement.

The mother glanced around the living room, her eyes landed on the raven. The hitman spoke up. "Yes. I found him in Rome."

"Why didn't you say anything when I walked in?" The women scolded.

Reborn shrugged. "I didn't want to interrupt."

"Thank you for taking care of my son." Nana sincerely said.

The hitman tipped his hat. "A pleasure to be able to help, Nana."

Tsuna leaned against his mother and promptly fell asleep.

"Would you like some coffee? How are you?" Nana asked hospitably.

"I'm well. I can make some myself, I wouldn't want to wake him up." Reborn waved the question away dismissively.

Nana smiled. "Thank you. The grounds are in the cabinet above the pot."

A swift nod was sent the mother's way and the hitman headed to the kitchen.

Nana pulled out her phone, careful to not bump her son.

SugarSpice:Renato found Tsuna

SugarSpice:He's home and safe.

Lions4Ever:I'll be there in an hour.

XXX

Reborn stood and made his way to the kitchen. He was going to brew another pot of coffee for himself. A gut feeling made him leave his empty cup on the table.

The only warning the hitman had was one hissed word. "Reborn."

The air was knocked out of Reborn's lungs with a solid punch to the hitman's solar plexus. Reborn was then pinned to the wall.

Reborn choked and coughed, his lungs desperate for air. Blood trickled down from the blade of a army knife pressed to the man's throat. One of Reborn's hands had curled around the handle of the knife, but was unable to wrest control from Iemitsu's hand.

"How long?" The blond demanded.

Reborn switched his gaze from the knife to Iemitsu's face. "The past two weeks." The raven admitted.

The hitman twitched, he saw what was in Iemitsu's eyes. Disbelief, pain, and pure hatred burned there for several seconds, strong as the CEDEF leader's Sky Flames.

During those moments, Reborn was certain he'd be grievously injured, if not killed. If Iemitsu was willing to put his life on the line to kill Reborn, Reborn's survival would be up to chance and not skill. These thoughts in mind, the hitman curled a hand around Leon, but the chameleon refused to transform.

The laughter of a mother and child echoed from upstairs. The two men instinctively looked up to the ceiling and then back to each other.

His temper had been cooled by the reminder of his wife and son, regardless this was the reckoning for the infractions Reborn had committed. Iemitsu clenched his jaw. "Why?"

"I had to wait until you destroyed Estraneo and things had calmed down." Reborn replied, his voice remained unchanged regardless of his precarious position.

"And you couldn't send a message?" Iemitsu bitterly mused.

Reborn frowned. "I didn't want to throw Tsuna into this mess."

"I understand not wanting Tsuna in danger." Iemitsu aknowledged.

"But you still couldn't have contacted us, not one text? She's cried herself to sleep for weeks." The blond's voice became pained and shaky.

It was a crack in Iemitsu's mask, not that this entire scene wasn't. It was to be expected, the chink in Iemitsu's armor was his family.

Reborn dropped his gaze to the floor, a rare show of his feelings. Even more rare for Reborn was the stab of guilt. Nana was a good woman, the hitman and many others would hold to her being the kindest person in the world.

"I'm...sorry." The strange tasting words stumbled out of Reborn's mouth.

The two men were both silent for a moment of mutual incredulity. Iemitsu's jaw had dropped at the apology. The hitman was just as surprised, although it did not show on his face.

Reborn seemed to realize that he was genuinely wrong. Harbor a grudge and cut ties? Or forgive and attempt a healthy relationship with his son's godfather? "I.." The CEDEF leader trailed off.

The blond reached a decision. "I forgive you. One more chance, no grudges held. Next time something happens..tell me what's going on, standing alone doesn't help."

Reborn considered the requirement and nodded. He could live with that.

Iemitsu stepped back and sheathed his knife. He ran a hand through his hair, wondering if he did the best thing.

Reborn coaxed a small Sun flame to his fingertips and pressed it to his neck. The scratch healed without a scar. The hitman looked at his hand, several drops of blood lazily moved down his fingers.

"I was about to make some more coffee before you walked in, do you want some?" Reborn offered nonchalantly.

Iemitsu smiled. "If it's not any bother, thank you."

Reborn headed to the kitchen and washed off the blood on his hand and neck.

Both men heard the sound of feet dashing down the stairs.

"Dad!" The boy called out happily.

"Tsuna!" Iemitsu cheerfully replied. The blond man hoisted his son into his arms.

Iemitsu couldn't pick his son up as easily. Tsuna had grown. "You got bigger. Did you have fun with Reborn?" The blonde man questioned.

Tsuna grinned and nodded. "Yup."

The brunette child turned his head and looked at his backpack. Tsuna tilted his head and asked his dad, "can I show you my drawings?"

Iemitsu smiled. "Sure."

Sometime in the very near future, a conversation of what Tsuna experienced with the Estraneo and on the streets would happen. Tears, stammers, and sobs during the account would result in soothing nothings and large warm hugs. Appointments with the best local child therapist would be set. But for now, Tsuna would be allowed to have some fun with his family and ignore the dark memories of half remembered days.

XXX

Later that day, Iemitsu pondered what had happened. Tsuna was back, bigger, more wise, and more confident. His boy was safe, thank God. He thanked God that Reborn passed by and found Tsuna. Who knows what would have happened to his child if Reborn hadn't found Tsuna?

Speaking of Reborn, Iemitsu contemplated what would happen and what had. A hitman had officially joined his family, as an uncle of sorts.

XXX

Later that day, Reborn thought about what happened.

A held grudge between Reborn and Iemitsu could be catastrophic for Reborn's career, reputation, and relationship to his Godson. Iemitsu had the right to hold a grudge, but had chosen not to. Reborn owed the CEDEF leader for several things, the least of which was not the second chance.

XXX

A castle moved because of the pawn's plight. The horse and castle would ensure the pawn makes it to the end of the board.

A/N

Hello! It's been a while. Due to homework, the next chapter will take a long time as well, but it will be long like this chapter.

Iemitsu vs. Reborn

1\. In the Arcobaleno representative battles:Iemitsu had already fought Tsuna right before and was not willing to do anything to win. There, Reborn went as far as to dislocate his shoulders. Here, Iemitsu is willing to go all out, which makes him a serious threat.

2\. Leon refused to transform which is a severe handicap for Reborn.

3\. Iemitsu as a fighter. Although many fanfic writers portray Iemitsu as stupid and weak. In canon, this is untrue. He's one of the strongest fighters in the khr universe and he's extremely smart as well.

4\. Is Iemitsu actually scary? He's just a happy go lucky idiot, right? He is head of the CEDEF, the intelligence part of Vongola. In other words they are spies and information gatherers. Seeming not dangerous is what their job is. He's still a mafia don, regardless of his cheerful personality.

-Silver


	12. Arc 4:Friends I

Tsuna has two sets of friends, Japanese and Italian. During school Tsuna was in Japan, while summer time meant a vacation in Italy.

1\. Gokudera  
Italy

A blond man confidently strode through a small alley.

A silver haired child ran into Iemitsu. On the man's shoulders, Tsuna let out a quiet 'hie'.

"Hey kid, are you alright?" The blond man asked.

The silverette scrambled to his feet. A burning glare was aimed upwards. A amused smile was the immediate reply from the man who loomed overhead.

A curious Tsuna looked down, the angry look of the other boy caused the brunette to frown.

"Where are you going?" Iemitsu asked.

The kid ignored, and then tried to peer around the CEDEF leader. But the bulk of Iemitsu and the narrowness of the path prevented the boy from passing around.

"Where are your parents?"

The child flinched. Iemitsu's grin faltered for a split second.

"I'm not going to hurt you. My name's Iemitsu, and this is my son Tsuna. What's your name?"

"Hayato." The silver haired kid muttered.

"Hayoto, have you eaten lunch yet? Tuna-fish and I were about to go grab some food. Would you like to join us?"  
The blond man offered.

Hayato opened his mouth with a retort on his tongue. Going with strangers was a bad idea. The gurgle of his stomach reminded him of the absence of not only lunch, but breakfast as well.

"Fine." The boy grumbled.

XXX

His target was a boy his age. Apparently the kid was the son of his client's enemy don.

The picture showed a fluffy haired brunette, a young teen, walking out of a two floor house. On the the back was the date and location.

Gokudera's memory stirred at the photo. He remembered the kid from somewhere. Where, Gokudera had no idea.

XXX  
A bomb and a lighter were in concealed in his jacket pockets. More bombs were on his belt, in his shoes, various other places, and his gun powder ladden jacket could be used if the worst came.

The assassin waited in the alley his mark often took as a short cut.

A while later, the target waltzed in the alley, a bag full of baked goods in his hands. Face to face with his mark, Gokudera realized something.

"Tsuna?" Gokudera asked. The assassin noticed how the brunette had reacted to the possibility of a threat, a slide into a natural fighting stance. The shorts and orange t-shirt Tsuna wore did nothing to disguise the muscles of a agile fighter.

"Hayato?" Tsuna questioned. Tsuna noticed the gunpowder smell that hung heavily around the silver haired teen, the shine of a lighter that peeked out from one jacket pocket, and what looked to be the tip of a wick from the other pocket.

There was an awkward pause. Tsuna decided to do what he would do with any of his friends. "Want some pastries? The bakery I just went to has great food." Tsuna proposed.

Gokudera didn't know how to respond to the non sequitur. He had been about to kill his old friend without realizing it, and his old friend at least suspected so but still offered him pastries.

"Thank you." The would be assassin politely responded.

"Ah, you want to go to a bench on the street near here?" Tsuna suggested.

"Sure."

'It's just one of those weird days, might as well go along with weirdness,' Gokudera thought. He was right.

Gokudera's 'weird days' became much more common after that.

2\. Mukuro  
Italy

Basil peered around the corner. No guards in sight.

"So, why are you here?" The Mist child casually asked.

Basil cast a glance over the three children. The trio would find out anyway when they got to HQ. "The boss's son got kidnapped."

"Typical mafia, I bet if it was anyone else, they'd be cast aside without a thought. After all, storming a enemy base is quite a costly endeavour, isn't it?" The pineapple haired child sneered.

Basil frowned. The child was apparently as prickly as his hair.  
"He'd do the same for me or any of his subordinates. He considers us his friends, not inferiors." Basil replied, his voice even although he felt like punching the wall.

"You're lying." The beanstalk child stated, his voice clinical but tainted with his disbelief.

"I'm not." Basil fixed the three with a gaze cold enough to freeze a volcano.

"Now, let's get out of the lab. The walls won't be white much longer."

XXX

The orphans had been bathed and given new clothes. The trio looked out of place seated on the long black couch and against the light yellow CEDEF HQ walls.

Basil had entered the office an hour ago. Apparently the Boss had called for him.

A door was pushed open, Basil peeked his head out. "You can come on in." The blond teen calmly told them.

They traveled through several corridors and took many turns, to the point that all of the children lost all sense of direction in the labyrinth. The trio walked as quietly as they could, although they sometimes peeked a look into private offices through the sometimes occuring frosted glass.

A blond man sat behind a large desk. His head was slightly bent to read a page of paper.

"Boss." Basil announced their presence.

"Ah. You're here." The man raised his head, sat down the file he had been reading, and folded his hands on the oak desk.

"Now that we're not in that lab. I'd like to talk to you three." The Boss stated. "What are your names?"

The purple pineapple pursed his lips then smirked. "Mukuro Rokudo." The voice was announced in a velvety sneer.

The bean stalk shifted and stated.  
"Chikusa Kakimoto."

"Ken Joshima." The blond child declared, the scar over the bridge of his nose stood out against his pale skin.

"I am Iemitsu Sawada, the leader of the CEDEF, Vongola's Intelligence Agency."

"Now, were you all born into the Estraneo?" The blond man asked. The trio nodded.

"I am offering all of you the opportunity to be trained into full fledged members and given the full benefits of being Vongola." Iemitsu proposed.

The blond man closed his eyes in thought. Mukuro opened up his mouth to say something. Basil gave the pineapple a look that said 'shhhhh, let him finish.'

Iemitsu reopened his eyes. "However, I will give a second option. If you do not wish to join us, I swear I will ensure you will be adopted by a good family and your identifying information wiped from Estraneo records. You could rise above the criminal underworld and have a civilian life."

Iemitsu paused. "It is your choice."

The other two children looked to the pineapple child. "I choose option one." Mukuro declared.

"Option one then." Ken seconded. Chikusa nodded, "I will as well."

"Alright. Lal Mirch and Basil will be in charge of you. Get a good night sleep before your training starts. All of you are dismissed."

Basil inclined his head to the Boss and walked out. The three children followed.

3\. Basil  
Sicily, Italy

The sun had not peaked over the hills surrounding CEDEF's manor. Yet, several members were already awake.

One of these rather unfortunate people, was a blond teen.

It was time for the wake up call. Basil trudged through the mansion halls. Waking up this early for training was not something the blond had not experienced for almost a year.

Basil passed through the kitchen. The heavenly smell of eggs, salmon, pancakes, bacon, and jelly filled pastries already filled the busy room and wafted through the doors.

"Ah, Basil." Cherry noticed the teen and waved him over. The lean chef was German, and about twenty years old.

"Grab what you want." Cherry ordered. The chef gestured to the large plates full of food and handed the teen a clean plate.

"Thank you, Mr. Cherry." Basil replied and grabbed bacon, eggs, and pancakes.

Cherry tsked. "Drop the 'mister', you're practically my younger brother. You're going to wake the kiddos up after your eat?"

"Yes, Cherry." Basil affirmed, a slight smile on his face.

"Now, I can make up some plates for the new kids and have them put in the south dining room. That sound good?" Cherry asked.

"Thank you. That'd be much appreciated."

"You're welcome. Don't mention it." Cherry waved away the thanks.

XXX  
Basil sat on the cushion beside a bay window. The room was small, but it was his favorite.

He had pushed the window open when he had come in.

Birds loudly chipped. Trees creaked in a breeze.

Basil smiled and started on his breakfast. It was a peaceful way to start his morning.

XXX

"Wake up." The blond called into the dark room. "Wake up!" Basil yelled.

With a sigh and a mischievous smile, the teen pulled out an air horn.

"WHHHOOOOOMMM!" Came the blare.

The three children bolted upright and covered their ears.

"Why?" Ken complained.

Basil smiled apologetically and shrugged. "Sorry. You guys didn't get up when I yelled."

XXX  
"I'm Lal Mirch. I'll be teaching you some self defense, then you will split up and practice with your Flames under someone of the same Element." A women explained, a neutral look on her face.

They were in a field near the shooting range. About ten minutes in, Basil's phone buzzed. The teen pulled out his phone and checked it. He winced. "Lal, I just got a mission." The teen reported.

Lal Mirch waved him on. "You have a job, go. I'm fine." The women responded.

"Thanks. Sorry about the timing." Basil replied. The blond started to jog to the parking lot, where a car would pick him up.

The training continued until Lal Mirch was sneakily enveloped in a hug. "Hey." The man said with a wink. "Idiot." The instructor exasperatedly greeted.

"Is that any way to greet your boyfriend?" The blond teased.

The women elbowed the man and he let go. "It is when it's you." Lal retorted. The blond chuckled.

"Hi, I'm Colonello, Lal's boyfriend." The man turned to the kids and introduced himself.

"What can you do?" Ken asked.

The blond man smiled. "I'm a sniper." He pointed with his thumb to the gun slung across his back.

"How accurate are you?" Chikusa clinically questioned. Mukuro raised an eyebrow but kept silent.

Colonello smirked. "Hmm, let's see if I can show you."

XXX  
After shooting twelve bullets, Colonello brought his target around.

A dozen bullets, dead center.

The kids looked from the target to the adult they had pegged as silly and only on CEDEF grounds because of his girlfriend.

Lal Mirch broke the small trio out of their shock. "Misleading other's expectations is a large part of CEDEF's work."

"In other words, appearing harmless when deadly, weak when strong, and vice versa." Colonello tacked on with a smile.  
XXX

The patter of feet outside woke Basil. The creak of his door opening caused his groginess to disappear.

Basil slid his fingers under his pillow. The cold metal fit well in his palm.

The teen searched for an illusion, and found the barely noticeable film that lay over his mind. 'There is someone there who's a Mist. And I know who they are.' Basil thought. He mentally pushed at the slippery blanket in his head, the illusion dissipated.

The teen rolled out of his bed, pointed the metal tube, turned on the flashlight, and lunged behind his would be attackers.

The sudden bright light caused the three people to cover their eyes. Basil lightly chopped them on their heads.

"A sneak attack? Nice try you three." Basil complimented.

"Although, you know you three are stuck with me for the whole day, right? It's not a good idea to tick off your trainer right before training starts." The teen gave an amused smile.

The trio looked comically horrified.

XXX

"Basil, come in." The blond pushed the door open and strode through.

Iemitsu was in front of his desk. A brunette kid stood beside the Boss.

"Hello." Basil politely greeted. In his stomach, butterflies frolicked.

"This is Basil." Iemitsu said, he stepped forward and briefly ruffled the teen's hair. Although Basil smiled at the fatherly action, he quickly brushed his bangs back in place.

Tsuna tilted his head in thought. Dad had ruffled Tsuna's hair only a few few times, and Tsuna was Dad's son. So Basil was Dad's son, which made Basil his older brother? And he had brown hair like Mom, so why couldn't his brother have blond hair like Dad? Right?

"Oni-chan? (Big brother?)" The child asked.

Iemitsu hmmed in agreement. "Yes Tuna-fish, he's your big brother."

Basil's mouth dropped open. Iemitsu smiled at the shocked look on the officially established big brother's face.

A/N

Surprise! I figured out a way to do my somewhat schedule for uploading chapters, this time. So far, there will be two more Friend chapters and an epilogue.

If you have a favorite character, who is not a Guardian, please comment who they are so that I will know to include them in the next two chaps. The only exceptions are the Varia minus Fran and Bel.

I played a game with myself. How many times in this chapter can I put 'pineapple' when talking about Mukuro. This has provided me with no small amount of amusement.

-Silver


	13. Arc 4: Friends II

Arc 4:Friends II

Tsuna has two sets of friends, Japanese and Italian. School meant Japan, while summertime meant a vacation in Italy.

4\. Takeshi

Japan

"Rain steel." A familiar voice spoke the two haunting words.

Tsuyoshi Yamamoto tensed. A shadow from his past had come back. Whether or not the shadow was welcome, depended on what it had to say.

"Or do you prefer Tsuyoshi?" The shadow asked, his voice calm and polite. This time, Tsuyoshi saw the body of the speaker. A blond man sat at a table, facing the sushi chief.

"Tsuyoshi, Iemitsu." The former assassin replied, as cooly as he could. He went back to making sushi, although the sign outside Takesushi had been turned to 'Closed' by Iemitsu.

"Alright." The blond man acquiesced.

The tense atmosphere was only punctuated by the dull thud, airy swish, and quiet kling of knives making sushi.

Tsuyoshi mentally sighed. He didn't have enough time for mind games. "I'll bite. Why are you here?"

"What have you heard about my family?" Iemitsu asked.

Tsuyoshi raised an eyebrow. "Nothing. I didn't know you had one."

Iemitsu smiled. "I got married and had a child after you left. You apparently did too."

Tsuyoshi found no point in denying it. Knowing Iemitsu, that blond already knew everything about what had happened. "Yes," the chef admitted.

The CEDEF leader opened his mouth to reply, he closed it, and paused to think.

"My son was recently kidnapped in Italy. He and my wife live here," Iemitsu carefully said.

Tsuyoshi snorted. He was sympathetic, but it had nothing to do with him now that he was retired from the underworld. "Talk to Hibari if you're worried about Namimori's safety, not me."

Iemitsu inclined his head. "I already have."

Tsuyoshi piled the fresh sushi on a large plate. "Then why approach me after all these years?" The raven asked.

"Your son may be caught up in this too." The blond explained.

Tsuyoshi brought the plate over to the table and sat across from Iemitsu. "Free of charge." The raven offered the other man a pair of chopsticks.

"Thank you," Iemitsu responded, accepting the chopsticks.

"You're saying he might become a Guardian?" The chef questioned and opened his own pair of utensils.

Iemitsu paused in thought. "Yes, my son's Flames are very pure. As such, he will most likely be able to draw young Elements toward him. Unconsciously."

"Itadakimasu," both men said in unison.

"You didn't seal him?" Tsuyoshi asked with curiosity before eating a piece of sushi.

"He was sealed for several years. But the Estraneo broke it. It's unhealthy to seal someone twice." Iemitsu responded, he frowned at crab sushi poised between his chopsticks.

"Yes, it is." The other man agreed.

The former assassin sighed. It seemed inevitable at this point. This entire conversation had been steered by Iemitsu to figure out what side Tsuyoshi would be on and to get his approval. "If my son naturally forms a bond with your son, I will allow it. Neither of us are to be force into anything."

"As the leader of the CEDEF and your former Sky, you have my word that I will not interfere. If such a bond occurs, I will do what I can to protect your son."

"Thank you, Iemitsu," the raven said, half polite and half sincere.

"Thank you for not being hostile with me. Perhaps we can be friends once again?" Iemitsu suggested.

Tsuyoshi tilted his head in consideration. "Possibly."

The two men's lips curled up. Both had missed the close companionship they had shared in their younger days. They had been best friends then; perhaps they could be friends once more.

XXX

Tsuna was almost at the gate of Namimori Middle when something slammed into him. The brunette stumbled and turned his head to see what hit him

"Maa, I'm really sorry," a raven teen apologized. There was a nervous look on his face.

Tsuna brushed himself off. "It's fine. I'm Tsunayoshi Sawada, call me Tsuna."

"I'm Takeshi Yamamoto," the raven beamed.

Tsuna frowned. "I don't like fake smiles."

"What?" Takeshi frowned in response. No one had noticed before.

"If you're happy, smile; if you're sad, frown. If you act too much like you're happy when you're not, you feel unhappy and trapped and lose yourself," the brunette blurted out.

"Ah." Takeshi muttered, he didn't know what to say. So he said what his dad did when someone gave good advice. "Thank you for the advice. I'll take it to heart." Takeshi's mouth quirked up, but this time it felt natural.

5\. Lambo

Italy

Reborn had taken Tsuna out for a walk. Nana had just cracked an egg and turned the stove on.

"Nana, I saw a child in a family. He was being abused." The blond abruptly commented.

Nana glanced at her husband, her eyes were filled with sympathy.

"How old?"

Iemitsu shrugged. "I don't know. Between six months and a year is my closest guess."

The mother was no fool. Iemitsu would not mention an abused child of a family around her if he wasn't setting up something advantageous or necessary. The man would intervene when he saw abuse, but he would not want to adopt the child unless it was unusually gifted or had Flames.

Nana cracked an egg. "Flame?" She asked.

Iemitsu chuckled, his wife always saw through him. "Yes. Lightning, but he is of Bovino blood. He has good purity, and I sensed a good potential in him."

"If you didn't want a Guardian for Tsuna, what would you do with this child?" The mother warily questioned.

"He'd be Turmeric's apprentice. If he had no Flames, or low quality ones, I'd set him up with a civilian family." The blond man replied without hesitation. Nana nodded, there were no lies in what Iemitsu had said.

"What did they do to him?" The brunette woman tensed up at where her thoughts lead her, although she continued to chop vegetables while the eggs cooked.

"Lambo interrupted our impromptu meeting by crying, as he wanted to see his father. The child was brought in and...slapped. The father didn't even take his ring off." Iemitsu relayed the event, his voice even regardless of the subject of his words.

"If I wasn't retired..." The furious brunette trailed off and shook her head. "I agree." Nana stopped chopping vegetables as she spoke.

"But?" Iemitsu prompted, sensing a condition.

"He deserves as normal of a childhood as we can make it. He won't be put onto the battlefield until he's at least a teenager. He's a child, not a sacrificial pawn." The mother had grown up in less-than-fortunate circumstances, so she would do all she could to ensure that the same did not happen to the children around her.

Her blond husband nodded. "I agree."

"I pray he will not be near any fighting until he is an adult, but in the mafia, that is far past the time he will be targeted." Nana put her chopped vegetables in a bowl. The wood of her cutting board had not marred although she had been dicing quickly through the vegetables as if they were butter.

"Amen." The father uttered softly in agreement.

XXX

Iemitsu turned on his comm. "Oregano, set up a meeting with the Bovino don in a month. Find me some things to negotiate." The blond ordered.

"Copy that. What is your aim?" The agent asked, her voice interested by the sudden order.

"I'm going to buy and adopt an abused child," Iemitsu replied bluntly.

"A noble deed or an advantageous one?"

"Both."

XXX

About an hour into the sit-down, Iemitsu was able to casually slip in his suggestion.

"My Lightning is looking to train a Lightning child with at least semi-adequate purity." Iemitsu paused to assess the reaction. It was neutral, so he continued.

"I noticed your youngest child; you don't seem to care for it. It's just dead weight to you, and you have many offspring."

The Bovino Don looked contemplative. "Why do you want him?"

"As I said, my Lightning is looking for an apprentice. If not you, then I'll just go somewhere else." Iemitsu replied nonchalantly.

Mr. Bovino cast a thoughtful glance towards his Family Ring. The dark green stone and gold metal gleamed. "How much are you willing to pay?"

Iemitsu mentally smirked.

XXX

Iemitsu smiled and booped the kid on the nose. The child giggled.

"Hello, I'm your new Dad." The blond proclaimed. "Although I guess one could argue that I'm your first actual dad." Iemitsu grimly mused with a bitter chuckle.

XXX

Tsuna had just gotten home. He had been playing hide and seek with Hayato. The brunette went into the kitchen.

From his perspective, there was a blanket and a frizzy black ball in his mother's arms.

"Tsuna this is your new sibling, Lambo." Nana crouched down so that the brunette child could see.

"He is my otouto? (Younger brother?)" The brunette asked.

"That's right." Nana smiled "Dad is putting together a crib in our room, will you please tell him to come for lunch?" The mother asked.

"Okay, Mom." Tsuna happily agreed.

XXX

The hitman sat in the kitchen-stoically trying to finish his breakfast-when a glob of soggy rice hit his hat.

Reborn glared at the fuzz ball that sat in a high chair at the opposite side of the table. He couldn't do anything to harm or upset the kid, and the kid sure acted like he knew it.

Another splatter of food hit Reborn's fedora. He sighed.

The world's greatest hitman...defeated by a toddler.

XXX

Iemitsu and Tsuna stood by the door. The former kept an eye on his watch, watching it steadily tick closer to the time they had to leave.

Nana came into the living room and slipped on her heels while she talked. "Renato, the food is in the fridge."

Reborn nodded. "Have fun."

"You look beautiful." Iemitsu sincerely complimented his wife. The door opened with a breeze and closed with a click.

With a sigh, Reborn turned to the bane of his life which sat nearby on the couch.

Leon was amusing the child by turning into various objects. Lambo cheered every time the chameleon shifted.

"Leon." The hitman called. The scaly head swiveled to find the man. Reborn held out a hand and the colorful reptile crawled up the arm of an expensive suit jacket.

Lambo glared at the hitman. Unamused, Reborn raised an eyebrow.

"You need to eat now. You can play with Leon later." The hitman chided.

For Reborn, getting the child to eat took more effort then killing a high rank government official or stealing a painting from the Louvre. After half of the kid's food was eaten-the other half had been thrown around the kitchen-the hitman glanced at the kitchen table's fruit bowl and decided to try something new.

"You ever tried grapes?" Reborn proposed. The man grabbed a small branch of grapes and pulled out a knife. The purple fruit was quickly chopped into quarters to ensure Lambo wouldn't choke.

The hitman placed a grape quarter on a small spoon and put it in front of the kid's mouth. The raven puff-ball eyed it curiously.

Lambo chewed and swallowed. The child gave a wide-eyed look, as if it couldn't believe such a wonderful thing existed. Lambo grinned at Reborn. "Mo'e." The kid happily demanded.

The hitman rolled his eyes and complied. Of course the kid's first word was 'more'.

6\. Ryohei

Japan

Tsuna ran through the streets of Namimori.

Suddenly, there came a shout from behind him.

"I never knew of anyone else who runs at 6 AM! You're EXTREME!" A teen yelled.

"Ummm...yeah. Thanks." The brunette replied. Tsuna refrained from saying that the only reason he was up and about was because of his insane criminal godfather. "You can call me Tsuna."

"I'm Ryohei Sasagawa!" The other teen bellowed.

XXX

It was the weekend, but Ryohei and Tsuna were on their morning run.

The brunette stopped as his phone buzzed. Ryohei jogged in place; he waited solely out of courtesy for his friend.

Rebornlikesespresso: Head to the bakery.

FreeRangeTuna: Okay?

The bakery' referred to Tsuna's favorite bakery, the one he would always buy a treat from on his way home from school.

"Hey Ryo-ani, I'm going to go to the Checkered Bakery. You want to come or keep running?" Tsuna asked.

Ryohei pondered the question. He could run a bit more later or even more tomorrow to make up? "I'll come with you." The blond decided with a grin.

XXX

Near the bakery, the duo were waylaid by a raven in dress slacks, a button-up, and a fedora. A neatly-folded suit jacket was in the crook of his arm.

"Hello. I'm Tsuna's godfather, Reborn." The man introduced himself.

"I'm Ryohei Sasagawa, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Reborn." The teen politely replied, a smile firmly on his face.

"I built an obstacle course for training. Would you like to join?" Reborn proposed. Tsuna felt a shiver go down his spine-he loved his godfather, he really did-but his training usually bordered on illegal and practically jumped off the cliff and was far gone down the side when it came to sanity.

"That sounds like fun." Ryohei replied with a grin.

XXX

The tunnel seemed to have been directly cut into the stone. (Actually, Reborn used specific amounts of explosives to blow through the rock quickly. A hermit who lived on the mountain thought there was an earthquake.) Lanterns were bolted to the three-meter ceiling.

A sudden slope almost made Tsuna trip. Ahead of him, Ryohei had jogged ahead and was poking around a decorated pole on the side of the path.

Tsuna reached Ryohei just as the latter pressed a piece of carving. The cap of wood receded inwards.

Several yards behind them, there was a loud thud as a rock made its way into the tunnel. The large boulder slowly picked up speed.

Tsuna cursed. "Run!" The brunette yelled.

"This is extreme!"

"HIE!"

XXX

When Tsuna met Kyoko, he thanked God that he befriended Ryohei.

The most popular girl in school walked over to Tsuna's desk."I'm Kyoko Sasagawa. You're Tsunayoshi Sawada, right? I've heard about you from my brother. He likes having someone else to run with. It's nice to meet you." The brunette girl introduced herself.

Tsuna chuckled. "Yeah, that's me. And it's nice to have someone to train with too. Ah, and it's nice to meet you as well."

The two teens traded sincere smiles.

XXX

Haru started a betting pool on how long it'd take Sawada and Sasagawa to get together.

Takeshi bet on Tsuna admitting it when he's fifteen and the duo dating when they were sixteen, Reborn put his money on Takeshi's bet too. (Because Reborn would able to coerce Tsuna into confessing by then, and Iemitsu and Nana had decided that there was absolutely no way that any of their children were dating before being sixteen years old.)

7\. Hibari

Japan

Tsuna had made it a goal to get through his first semester at Namimori Middle School without being late. Today, he failed.

"Herbivore, I'll bite you to death." Came the usual phrase of Namimori's most bloodthirsty teen.

Tsuna backpedaled and dodged the swipes. "I don't want to fight!" The peace-loving brunette exclaimed.

Hibari kicked the apparent pacifist in the chest.

Tsuna toppled backwards, his arms stinging from his attempt to block the kick. The force was comparable to being punched in the chest by a full-grown man."I don't like fighting." Tsuna stalwartly stated, in a matter-of-fact tone. Under the evenness was a well-hidden fear of the raven-haired fighter.

"Hn, omnivore." Hibari acknowledged. The brunette was trained but refused to bare his fangs. The rule breaker was thus a level above herbivore, but not a carnivore.

Hibari went back to attacking. The raven was steadily getting faster. Tsuna knew he wasn't the long endurance sort, so he improvised a quick and slightly painful end to what had been a one-sided fight.

Tsuna ducked under the next blow and slammed his head upwards against Hibari's jaw. In the second the raven was disoriented, the brunette quickly moved behind and dead-legged his attacker.

Hibari winced at the pain and the numbness in his right leg. With the raven momentarily incapacitated, Tsuna took his chance and booked it inside.

XXX

FreeRangeTuna: Hey Dad?

FreeRangeTuna: I think I made an acquaintance? Or got his respect?

LionsAbound: Are you talking about Hibari's kid, the disciplinary leader of your school?

FreeRangeTuna: Yeah, he's...mysterious and confusing.

FreeRangeTuna: He attacks tardy students, and today I was a half minute late.

LionsAbound: Did you fight back?

FreeRangeTuna: Sort of?

FreeRangeTuna: At first, I only dodged and blocked. Then he almost hit me in the head with his tonfa, so I dead legged him and ran."

LionsAbound: Did he say anything during your fight?

FreeRangeTuna: He said something like 'hn, omnivore' about half way through. He usually calls people herbivores, so I think he respects me?

LionsAbound: That seems a reasonable assumption.

LionsAbound: I told Reborn, he's picking you up.

FreeRangeTuna: Okay.

LionsAbound: Reborn is going to walk you to school and pick you up for a while. Okay?

FreeRangeTuna: Yeah, okay.

LionsAbound: Also, I suggest not being late to school unless you transfer.

LionsAbound: I'm pretty sure Hibari's kid keeps a record of 'rule breakers'. (;

FreeRangeTuna: Heh, yeah.

XXX

Tsuna slipped into the crowds of students heading for the exit. Everyone wanted to go home.

The brunette was almost to the gate. He smiled in relief as he saw Reborn standing outside by the wall.

"Omnivore," a stern voice said. At the sudden appearance of Hibari, Tsuna sped up his pace and hide behind Reborn. Students quickly fled the area, as they saw a possible showdown about to happen.

"Chaos." The man greeted, his voice velvety soft yet somehow that made it all the more intimidating. Leon dozed in the sun on Reborn's collar. An amused glance was directed towards Tsuna and then Hibari.

"Carnivore." The raven teen respectfully acknowledged.

"My godson has homework to get done, if you don't mind." The hitman politely responded, his amusement at the situation was thinly veiled.

Hibari narrowed his eyes. The teen nodded and backed off at the threatening glint in the mysterious man's eyes. It was a glint alike the one his uncle and father got when serious.

Some research into the identity of Tsunayoshi Sawada's 'godfather' would take place tonight.

XXX

Iemitsu punched the familiar number of his Cloud into his cell. Surprisingly, the Sky's phone call wasn't ignored.

"Hey, did you know that your son and my son-" The blond excitedly started chattering.

"Yes." Came the one deadpan word from Ryuuichi Hibari.

The CEDEF leader got an earful of static as the irritated Cloud hung up on him. Iemitsu laughed. "Antisocial as always." The blond noted.

A/N

P.S. Chrome will appear next chapter.


	14. Arc 4: Friends III

Tsuna had two sets of friends: Japanese and Italian. School meant Japan, while summertime meant a vacation in Italy.

8\. Chrome

Italy

Each of the trio of orphans were given a separate room once they turned twelve. Mukuro used this to his full advantage when he set his plans into motion.

Tonight, the Mist sat in his room with his eyes closed and Flames extended near their breaking point. The young teen was guiding his primary minion through a massacre of a Sicilian Family. *

The job was done, the feeling of success, contentment, and sweet revenge blossoming in the Mist's chest.

And then he opened his eyes. Three feet away from him on an old wooden chair, sat Iemitsu Sawada.

Mukuro swallowed hard. His mind raced with explanations as to why the Boss would be here.

Iemitsu interlaced his hands. "Rokudo, what were you doing?"

"Meditating," came the Mist's even-toned reply. That was a believable excuse; Mukuro had spent some effort and time to ensure most of the CEDEF knew about his fake habits (meditating for long periods being one of them).

The blond hummed thoughtfully. "That's strange; I felt Flames coming from you. They went to...Rome?"

Mukuro's heartbeat quickened. "What? What are you implying?" He quickly responded. 'Too quickly,' Mukuro's thoughts chided.

The soft clink of a wind chime announced the arrival of a text. Iemitsu read the message and then showed the glowing screen to his subordinate. "And look at that. There was a killing spree that just occured in Agrigento. The leaders of the Carlian Family were all killed."

The Mist couldn't stop the small tremble in his hands. 'No, no, no. You're tipping him off. He's only guessing.' "Are you accusing me without evidence?" He calmly asked.

"No. Otherwise I wouldn't be here to confront you," Iemitsu cheerfully replied.

Mukuro raised an eyebrow. "Okay, what evidence?"

The CEDEF leader tapped his phone and showed a photo. The blue pineapple hairstyle noticeably stood out among the crowd. "For starters, your contact with the perpetrator of a dozen odd slaughters over the past month. You had a job in Agrigento last month, a few days before the serial killing started. Afterwards, you were allowed to explore alongside Lal Mirch. There were about five minutes Lal didn't have her eyes on you. You probably researched where the guy would be beforehand."

Mukuro's eyes narrowed. It seemed he was wrong; Iemitsu had some evidence. The Mist was outplayed and would need to make a move.

"That's circumstantial," Mukuro pointed out.

Iemitsu did not acknowledge the interruption. "Second, I'm from Primo's line. Most know that Primo and many of his descendants had Hyper Intuition. Hyper Intuition has two major known flaws: distractions and Illusions. Strong HI can therefore be as much of a hindrance as a help in the Mafia."

Mukuro smirked at the admitted weaknesses and formed an Illusion of himself. The second him sat on his bed with an even expression.

Iemitsu smiled, for the first time since he entered the room. "You heard of that, and assumed my Hyper Intuition was strong."

Halfway to the door, the Mist had briefly frozen. 'There's a troublesome indication there. Well, I'm halfway to freedom. No point in turning back.'

"You assumed wrong. Mine is weak...and 'moldable'. In the same way one can train a domesticated terrier but can't tame a rampaging wolf," the CEDEF leader explained.

Mukuro's hand grasped the antique door knob and twisted. The door did not creak open, as the Mist oiled the hinges regularly.

"My Hyper Intuition learned to clue me in on the difference between Illusion from reality." Iemitsu nonchalantly turned his eyes from the Mist clone to the real Mukuro.

The Mist looked to the wide open door and then to the man. To the pineapple, the former was now useless.

The CEDEF leader approached the door. He clicked his tongue, disappointed in his subordinate's performance. "It was circumstantial evidence. As many green spies do when confronted, you revealed yourself out of panic."

Mukuro frowned, irked at the unusual experience of being outwitted. "What are you going to do with me?"

Iemitsu placed a hand on Mukuro's shoulder, but he withdrew it at the boy's flinch. "I'll make my decision tomorrow. You have made several horrible choices, Mukuro. I doubt you're getting any sleep tonight, so I suggest reflecting upon them."

With that piece of advice imparted, the man walked out the door and closed it behind him.

Mukuro stared at the door, thoughts rushing through his head. He should have felt horror or relief at being found out, yet all he felt was a numbness that sunk into his bones.

XXX

He had spent the hours before dawn reflecting on his wrong actions. If by "wrong" one meant "a mistake one made while covering up one's killing of mafia families". He had also theorized as to to what his future would be: Vendicare, loss of a limb, death...?

Mukuro picked at his food, his eyes bleary from lack of sleep. Breakfast wasn't appetizing when you were waiting for your probable execution.

"Mukuro, pack for two weeks. You're going to Japan," came the unexpected announcement from Basil.

"Alright," Mukuro mildly agreed. It was generally a good idea to go along until you had information and a plan. Why Iemitsu was foolish enough to allow him to travel, Mukuro had no idea.

"What? Why is he going?" Ken asked, his voice incredulous. Chikusa had stopped eating, his eyes fixed on Basil.

"Training," Basil responded.

Mukuro almost snorted. It seemed a pretty blatant lie to him, since he knew, but Basil was a spy and acted sincere enough to dissuade the other two from asking more questions.

XXX

"It's not for training, is it?" Basil asked.

His boss hummed. "If you loosely define the word, it is."

"So...This is for a plan, to help Mukuro?" The Rain pressed.

"That's the only reason for this. I just hope it works, otherwise, I will have made a grave mistake trying all of this," Iemitsu cheerfully responded.

XXX

Japan

Everyone feels some amount of fear, discontent, and desperation when one is in the dark or seems to lose control of the direction of their life. Mukuro was experiencing this sort of discomfort.

The experience was made even more discombobulating for the Mist by not just being in the dark, but being in the dark with a flashlight. One might think that for Mukuro, being in the dark with a flashlight is better than being in the dark without a flashlight, but for Mukuro, this couldn't be further from the truth. The boy desperately tried to find a wall, something, but was left seemingly in a void. For him, having no idea was better than having some idea.

Except when it came to making escape plans, as he was currently attempting to do. Although he was failing horribly at that, too; Mukuro had no way to get away from Iemitsu unless Illusions suddenly started working on the man.

The car came to a stop in front of a house. This house was just like any other house on that road in Namimori.

Two children sat on the porch steps. More accurately, one child sat on the steps while a toddler sat on the kid's lap.

"Tsuna!" Iemitsu exclaimed as he got out.

"Hey Dad," Tsuna greeted, a smile on his face.

"How's Lambo doing? I heard he had a nasty cold two days ago," the man asked.

"He's over it now," Tsuna reported. Lambo shifted and reached for his dad, with an exclamation of "da! (dad!)"

"Good," Iemitsu replied and lifted the raven puffball into his arms.

"Lambo and Tsuna, this is Mukuro," Iemitsu introduced.

"Hi," the older kid brightly greeted.

'Looks like being optimistic and cheerful is a genetic thing,' Mukuro dismally thought. "Hello," he responded, voice flat..

"Is Mom home?" Iemitsu asked.

Tsuna shook his head. "No, but Uncle is."

The group traipsed inside and to the kitchen. There were brief, wondering looks from Tsuna and gurgles from the toddler toward the sudden appearance of a strange boy in their house. Mukuro spent the short trip trying to analyze his surroundings.

The Mist came to a halt when he saw who was in the kitchen.

"We're home," Iemitsu announced.

Reborn glanced at the new arrivals. He continued reading the book in his hands while sipping a cup of coffee. "Chaos, where's Basil?"

"He's picking up some files, he'll be here in a few hours," Iemitsu explained, putting Lambo into a high chair at the kitchen table. He then poured himself a cup from the pot of coffee Reborn had made.

Tsuna stood next to the the shell-shocked Mist. "You haven't been introduced to my godfather yet, right?"

"No," Mukuro dragged the answer out from his lips. His mouth was dry from fear. For all the Mist knew-which was nothing-Reborn was going to be his executioner.

"Chaos," Reborn greeted. He had heard the conversation, of course he did; he was the world's greatest hitman.

Mukuro smiled. "Hi. Yoroshiku (nice to meet you)."

"A pleasure to meet you as well, Mukuro Rokudo. I hope you enjoy your 'stay' here," Reborn said charmingly. Mukuro was thrown off for a second-this was not how he had thought the hitman would act. Was there something in the town's water?

Suddenly, there was a dark, knowing smirk from the hitman, and he returned to his book. If Mukuro's mouth had figuratively held a sandbox before, it was now the Sahara desert.

The Mist held back a grimace. It looked like he was forced to give up trying to foil or escape whatever insane plan of Iemitsu's this was. With Reborn in the mix, resistance was futile and would most likely be extremely painful if not deadly.

XXX

Mukuro had no memories of his mother. His parents divorced when he was two years old and his father gained custody.

Nana Sawada accommodated him, talked with him, and coddled him when he got a large headache from staying up too late.

Mukuro was weirded out by Nana a quarter of the time; the rest was spent oddly enjoying her presence and care.

XXX

Mukuro blinked at the black puffball that tottered towards him. Lambo Sawada had yet to gain any sort of grace when it came to walking.

"Mu'k'o (Mukuro)," Lambo said, the syllables slurring together.

"Nani? (What?)" Mukuro blandy asked. The irritated Mist barely kept himself from snapping at the child.

"Bo'ed (bored)," the raven replied with a frown.

"And you expect me to entertain you? Aren't you a spoiled child," Mukuro snarked in Italian. At Lambo's pout, the Mist sighed.

Mukuro clicked his tongue in thought, what could he make to entertain the brat? The answer came to his mind without too much trouble, one of his favorite animals: the Cinnabar moth. He made a considering face and extended his hand out, palm up. ***

Lambo let out a cheer of joy and sat near Mukuro's head, his eyes lit up with anticipation. The high-pitched sound hurt Mukuro's ears. The Mist grimaced, more at the situation than the noise.

A black body started to form. Then came the bold splashes, strict lines, and artistic blotches of spectacular red. Beady black eyes and straight black antennas popped up next.

Mukuro frowned. His Illusion was missing a final touch, the hardest part. He pushed away his dissatisfaction and started to smear the harsh lines and splotches. The fuzzy-like quality of a moth was hard to portray correctly. Mukuro had ended up with moths that either looked misshapen or that appeared to have been closely shaved.

But, this time, Mukuro got the details right. A red and black moth beat its wings above Mukuro's outstretched hand. The Illusion fluttered past Lambo's head, just out of reach of the child's reaching hands.

"Coo', p'etty!" The child happily declared, his eyes practically full of stars.

It was pretty? Mukuro had never considered his Flames, the ability to change someone's perceptions, as anything except a tool for his convenience and survival.

But it was pretty, Mukuro admitted. A smile curled across his face. His smiles were rarely sincere, but this time, it was.

XXX

It had been a month since he got there when Tsuna suggested going on a walk together. Basil declined; the teen was going to check in with some CEDEF operatives tonight.

Mukuro had a sudden flicker of hope, of escape. But when the two stepped outside, the hope died. The hitman stood outside, obviously going with them.

Almost as if to mock his thoughts of slipping away from Tsuna, Reborn broadly smirked at the Mist.

Tsuna halted, his eyes suddenly wide. There was something telling him to go to the right. It was important.

Tsuna tugged on Reborn's sleeve. "Uncle, we need to go to the right."

Reborn glanced at his godson; there was desperation in the kid's eyes. "All right."

After all, things would be fine if he was there. Nothing bad would happen to the two, even though they were now headed to the rough and tumble part of Namimori. This was the place the gangs would hang out, where graffiti artists painted in bold colors, and where local shops weren't uncommonly harassed.

Mukuro was keeping his mouth shut, although he felt like making a smart-aleck comment. This was a bad part of town and it was near nightfall;being here was a bad idea, and he knew it. There was a high chance of some horrible encounter during their walk.

The group of three strolled down the cracked sidewalk.

Tsuna sped up, and went into an alleyway. Reborn clicked his tongue in annoyance, and he and Mukuro headed after the brunette kid.

Tsuna briefly stopped, his face anxiously twisted, and then he disappeared behind a trash can. Reborn deigned to wait at the entrance to the small alcove of metal cans since there was no way he could make it to the other side without disturbing the cans. However, Reborn could see what was happening in the small open space.

Tsuna was trying to wake up a child. Unconscious or sleeping, Reborn couldn't tell. Beside the hitman, Mukuro frowned. The scene seemed to draw some empathy from him.

Tsuna dragged the child outside of the alcove as carefully as he could. Along the way, the loose shirt of the child collected even more dirt and grime of unknown origins. "We have to help her," the brunette pleaded to his godfather.

'That was unnecessary. Few people had the lack of heart required to leave an unconscious child in a alley, even the World's Greatest Hitman,' Mukuro thought.

The hitman picked the child up, the baggy clothes shifted. He noted the dark bruise on the unconscious kid's arm, as did Mukuro, who grimaced.

"Of course we'll help, Tsuna," Reborn calmly replied to his godson.

XXX

The boys had been sent to bed, although the older two stayed awake, listening to the murmurs of the adults downstairs.

Nana went over the child's wounds in the bathroom. As the kid had been quickly confirmed to be a girl by the mother, the men stayed outside to give them privacy. When Nana came out, there was a solemn shadow over her usually optimistic countenance.

Nana informed the two men of the girl's condition.

There were motley bruises: black, blue, purple, and pinkish brown.

There were wounds, mostly straight lacerations, across the girl's skin. They covered all parts of her aside from those that would usually be visible: hands, feet, face, and neck.

Iemitsu frowned, his eyes dark. "Reborn, call Shamal."

The hitman inclined his head. Leon dropped into his hand and transformed into a lime green cellphone.

XXX

Shamal picked up the phone with a sigh. Hopefully this wasn't a repeat of the time Reborn woke up in a morgue and needed a dead body to replace him.

"Chaos, come to Japan," Reborn ordered, his serious tone screamed to Shamal that this was non-negotiable.

"Patient?"

"Young female, and yes, she'd be jailbait. If you treat her in any way except respectfully, you will have both Iemitsu and Nana plotting your punishment, probably death," the hitman warned.

"Dealing with you is not good for my health," the doctor replied with a disparaging sigh.

"I'm a hitman, my job is the opposite of being good for people's health."

XXX

Iemitsu showed up at the Namimori house of a couple with a young daughter known to fit the description of the mysterious child now under his care.

The CEDEF leader left with legal custody of the child, a promise of no interference from the birth parents, and the first name of his new daughter, Nagi.

XXX

Shamal was in Namimori for two weeks. At the end of the series of weird and unfortunate events that followed, Kyoya got a mysterious disease called sakura-kura and Chrome physically recovered.

The girl looked healthy now, hollow cheeks now filled out and her ribs were no longer visible. Her wounds slowly scarred over and bruises faded, now only a few bandaged-over lacerations and sore spots remained. A small smile now often appeared on her face.

XXX

About three years after her adoption, Chrome had been sent out for some groceries. Currently, ten thugs surrounded the girl in a semi-circle, and she mentally chastised herself for taking a shortcut home.

One of the guys put a hand on her arm. Chrome shrugged it off and took a step back. Her shoulders brushed against the wall.

"Hey, dude, she's just a kid," a cap-wearer chided.

The first held up his hands, palms outward in a 'chill' motion. "I know, I know, I'm just trying to scare her. We don't want little kids on our turf."

Then those in the alley clearly heard a phrase that chilled them to bone: "I'll bite you to death." Kyoya Hibari stood at one of the entrances to alley. The dull metal of his tonfas stood out against his pale hands.

Chrome shrunk back against the wall, her eyes fearfully watching a bloodthirsty teen fight nine men. The tenth man sprinted toward the other entrance of the alley.

Thwacks, thuds, and groans filled the ears of all present. One young man with some fighting ability pulled out a knife and managed to cut shallow furrows into the raven's arms. Far from slowing Kyoya down-it might have only made him fight more ferociously-Kyoya clenched his teeth and continued his onslaught.

After thirty seconds, Kyoya leisurely finished off the ninth man.

The tenth man was dropped to the floor, unconscious. A blue-haired teen seemed to materialize, and at his feet lay the knocked-out body.

Mukuro smirked. "Hey, Kyoya-kun."

The raven practically flew across the distance, an arm raised to strike. Mukuro pulled out a trident.

"No fighting! I'll tell Mom, Dad, and Uncle Fon!" Chrome quickly shouted.

The two boys directed sour looks toward the girl. Kyoya narrowed his eyes and left.

Mukuro almost pouted, but instead decided to portray his frustration at the lack of a good fight and battle of wits with a disappointed sigh. 'Baiting Kyoya is fun, but fighting an unworthy, but adequate, rival is more fun. Ah well, that's my sister ruining my fun per usual, still love her, no matter how much she interferes.'

XXX

It took about a year before Mukuro and Chrome felt like they were truly part of the family.

That ordinary-looking Japanese house in the sleepy town of Namimori became something other than just a house to Chrome and Mukuro. It became their home.

9\. Dino

Italy

Dino ran around a corner. Although he'd suffer for not being with his men, he needed some time when he didn't have to worry about messing up in front of them.

"Chaos," a baritone voice said. Dino jumped. The hitman seemed to have silently apparated beside the heir.

"Hey Reborn." The blond nervously laughed. It appeared that all plans of having time to himself today were shot.

Reborn smirked at his student's lack of composure; it seemed some nervousness tor-training would need to happen soon. "Idiot student, this is my Godson." The raven introduced the previously unnoticed teen.

The blond heir to Chiravone Family stared at the young brunette next to Reborn. "What?" Dino asked, his brain screeching to a halt.

"My Godson," the hitman repeated.

"Your Godson?" Dino parroted back.

"My Godson," Reborn repeated again.

'Who would trust Reborn with their child?' Dino thought in disbelief.

"What was that?" Reborn narrowed his eyes.

"Nothing," the Chivarone heir practically sang.

"I'm Dino," the blond introduced himself.

"I'm Tsuna," the brunette replied.

XXX

Japan

Tsuna had just walked into his home when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," he volunteered and turned on his heel. The brunette checked the window and immediately pulled the door open.

Tsuna gaped at the blond and his right-hand man at his side.

"Dino-nii?" Tsuna asked, not sure if his mind was playing tricks on him.

"The one and only. How's my little brother doing?" Dino ruffled Tsuna's hair.

"Stop," Tsuna playfully protested.

"All right, all right. It's not like you style your hair or anything. You have permanent bed-head," Dino teased.

Tsuna stuck out his tongue at the blond as he 'fixed' his hair. Dino's hand had made no noticeable change to his little brother's hair. The fluffy mess couldn't be changed noticeably without massive amounts of detangler or hair gel.

Dino moved into the kitchen. "Mrs. Sawada," the blond greeted.

"It's Nana, dear. You're practically family," the mother light-heartedly reprimanded.

Dino rubbed the back of his head. "Of course, Nana. I'm sorry for the formality."

"Deeenno (Dino)," Lambo loudly mumbled. The child looked at the blond.

Dino smiled. "Hey Lambo."

The blond suddenly paled as he felt the presence of someone standing behind him. "Chaos," said a velvety voice in Dino's ear. The blond barely held back a scream at his tutor's greeting.

"H-hi Reborn," Dino responded, barely keeping his voice from squeaking.

"Renato, don't scare the boy," the mother lightly scolded in an amused tone.

"I'm just messing with him, Nana. It keeps him on his toes." Reborn innocently made his way towards the coffee pot.

Dino shot a deadpan look towards the back of Reborn's head. 'Keep me on my toes, right,' the blond sarcastically thought.

Reborn turned his head just as Dino finished his thought. 'Oh, s***, can he read my face right now?' Dino frantically thought.

"Yes, I can." Reborn dully replied then turned back to making his coffee. Dino tried to surreptitiously edge away.

Tsuna walked into the kitchen, having grabbed his daily torture called homework from his room.

"Hey Tsuna, you need some help?" Dino asked. The blond was happy to help out however he could, even if it was with homework.

Tsuna shook his head. "Thanks for asking, but no."

The brunette subtly pointed with his eyes to the hitman and mouthed 'he'll join in.' Dino made an 'o' of surprise and nodded.

"What are you two talking about behind my back?" Reborn asked.

"Nothing." The two teens chimed in unison.

A/N

* It is known in canon that Mukuro controlled Lancia and killed Northern Italian Families. Due to being in Sicily, Mukuro targets Sicilian Families.

At Fatti-chan:So...turns out, Fon isn't in this chapter, sorry. But he will show up in two chapters.

At everyone:I'm lacking in knowledge on later khr arcs and characters, and I want to know the canon before I change it. So someone who knows a good bit about katekyo hitman reborn and has the time to explain different things to me, please say so in your review and I will PM you.

-Silver


	15. Arc 4: Friends IV

Tsuna had two sets of friends: Japanese and Italian. School meant Japan, while summertime meant a vacation in Italy.

10\. Enma

Italy

Their friendship began with tripping over each other at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. *

"Hie."

"Whoops!"

"Sorry." Two boys apologized in unison.

"Err, I'm Enma Cozarto." A redhead with red eyes introduced himself.

"I'm Tsunayoshi Sawada," the brunette replied.

Enma sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "I went out to get a breath of fresh air. Sorry I tripped over you."

Tsuna quickly shook his head. "No, no, no, I should have watched where I was going. Um, I was going to get a croissant. You want to come with me?"

The redhead grinned. "If it's not any trouble, sure."

XXX

Japan

On a drowsy walk to school, Takeshi and Tsuna met a redhead. He looked oddly familiar to Tsuna.

"You're Enma, we bumped each other at the Uffizi Gallery, right?" The brunette remembered.

"Yeah, we did. You're Tsuna?" The redhead asked.

The brunette grinned. "Uh-huh. And this is my friend Takeshi Yamamoto."

The raven waved and smiled at the Italian. "A pleasure to meet you."

Enma smiled back. "A pleasure to meet you as well. You guys go to Namimori Middle? I just transferred there today."

Takeshi nodded. "Yeah, we do. I hope you're in our class."

XXX

"Gotcha!" Tsuna enthusiastically yelled and played a card.

Enma groaned, he almost regretted introducing Tsuna to this game. "All right, you got me. That was a lot of fun, right?"

"Yup," Tsuna agreed.

The redhead glanced around the kitchen, for a mafia boss to be, he was too absorbed in the game. In the mafia, not observing your surroundings was a surefire way to die. As his gaze landed on a darkly clad figure of legend, Enma felt a scream build up in his throat.

Reborn- the world's greatest hitman- stood in his friend's kitchen sipping a cup of coffee. The hitman met the redhead's eyes with a smirk.

Tsuna excused himself, oblivious to the state of his friend. "I'm going to the bathroom."

"Okay." Enma replied, his mouth turned dry as his friend left the room.

"Chaos," the legendary raven cordially greeted.

"Are you here to kill me?" The redhead asked, trying to draw up some courage from a suddenly dry well.

"Don't think too highly of yourself, kid." Reborn dryly shot down the idea.

Enma couldn't believe it, what business would Reborn have in a home like this? "Than why else would you be here?"

"I'm the godfather of Tsunayoshi Sawada."

"Uh, with all due respect, what insane father would name a hitman as his son's godfather?"

In Italy, Iemitsu Sawada sneezed.

"One trying to keep his son alive," the hitman deadpanned.

The child opened his mouth to ask more questions- he was feeling brave enough to push for answers- but he was silenced by an icy gaze.

"I don't 'suggest' mentioning anything mafia-related to Tsuna, it tends to upset him. He was an Estraneo subject and was affected fairly horribly. I don't need you dragging up old memories before he's ready to face them."

Enma frowned, and shakily agreed. It was obvious that the hitman was serious. "I...I promise."

"Good," Reborn smoothly responded, a dark glint in his hard eyes that promised pain- of an extreme Enma had never experienced before and never wanted to- if the child broke his promise.

Tsuna walked into the kitchen. Like a spell that had suddenly and inexplicably broke, Reborn smirked- albeit non-threateningly- and the deadly side vanished like smoke.

"I'm going shopping, we need some things for dinner," the hitman told his godson.

Tsuna smiled. "Oh, okay, have fun shopping."

XXX

That day- discovering his new friend had mafia ties and the promise- was never forgotten.

The Vendice were scary, but knowing that Reborn would be after you was a dangerous incentive to keep omertà.

"Enma?" Takeshi asked.

Enma blinked, suddenly noticing that his eyes were dry. "Yeah?"

"You okay? You've been staring at that math problem for the past twenty minutes."

Enma nervously laughed. "Ha, yeah, I'm fine. Sorry to worry you guys, you know I'm really bad at math."

"But you are better at it then the rest of us," Takeshi joked.

"Yup, I'm great at languages, Enma is good at science and math, Takeshi is great at...PE?" Tsuna wrinkled his nose at the end, mockingly thoughtful.

The raven gasped. "You wound me. I'm great at a lot of things."

Enma snorted, this time his amusement was sincere. "I think we're rubbing off on you."

Takeshi chuckled.

XXX

The next year, a new student joined Namimori Middle from Italy.

When the class were introduced to the new student, a scowl was seemingly stuck to his face. Gokudera was quickly pegged as having a 'delinquent' aura.

During lunch period, it was seen that his scowl had turned into a minor smile. The Italian walked to the roof next to Tsuna, Takeshi, and Enma.

Few dared go on the roof because the demon of Namimori often took his naps up there. It seemed that the presence of Tsuna's group was for some reason tolerated by the ruthless raven.

Gokudera was almost immediately accepted into the Sawada home. He often hung out with Tsuna, Takeshi, Fuuta, and Enma. It wasn't uncommon for him to see him at the kitchen table for dinner, trying to ignore the arguments between Lambo and I-Pin.

11\. Fran

Japan

Iemitsu had been in Japan for a month.

How did the CEDEF leader managed to pull off being gone for so long? Two reasons: a lull of major underworld crises from Iemitsu blackmailing and creating ceasefire treaties (Vendice as the witnesses) with Vongola's worst enemies, and bribing Lal to lead the CEDEF for a month.

Unfortunately, the month was over. It was time for Mukuro and Iemitsu to go back.

XXX

Italy

Iemitsu and Mukuro took a detour on the way to CEDEF HQ. The man needed to pick up some files from an operative in Corleone.

As they walked through the streets, Mukuro slightly paled. He recognized where they were, where they were headed.

Although why Mukuro had been taken to Japan, why he lived with the Sawadas for a month, and why he was headed towards to place where he had killed a group of people? No idea. The Mist had no clue what Iemitsu was trying to do, what the calculated endgame was.

XXX

The Mist and Sky stopped in front of a two-story house. Mukuro cloaked himself and his boss in an Illusion and stepped forward into the house.

XXX

Mukuro had not been fully prepared for the non-detached view, a literal 'month after' of his crimes, when he walked through the door. The difference in height was far less jarring than adjusting to the memories etched in his brain.

It was the difference between seeing a horror movie on a screen and being a character in the movie, although if he was a character in the horrible movie, Mukuro would be the serial killer and not a victim.

There was an unsettling silence that used to hold shouts of hate and screams of terror. Mukuro couldn't stand the silence. He immediately headed for the second floor, practically flying up the stairs.

He was expecting everything to be as it had been, nevermind that all the bodies in the foyer were missing. Nevermind that the shattered objects, glass, plates, and utensils that should have been scattered across the kitchen from a battle had disappeared.

The Mist stopped in front of a door, he slowly opened it. The past look of the room, the before, the then of the room seemed ingrained in his mind. He blinked and he saw a bare room, empty of all life, a bookshelf the only thing that was the same. No, there was one other thing that was the same, the blood-splattered and chipped baby blue wallpaper.

"The bodies were taken care of, all possible evidence is sitting somewhere in a police station, and the case has been declared cold. Ah, and the relatives took everything the police didn't think was important," Iemitsu explained.

The Mist nodded absentmindedly.

XXX

Lal Mirch walked into Iemitsu's office, a light frown on her face.

Today, piles of paper with small black letters dominated the room. The blond man was making his way through one of the stacks on his desk at a spectacular rate.

When he paused and looked up, Lal Mirch spoke. "Sir, I found a boy."

Iemitsu raised an eyebrow, Lal would not be here if there wasn't something else. "And?"

"Fran Marchand, a French-Italian, strong Mist flames, orphaned a month ago," the woman reported.

"How was he orphaned?"

"The Carlian incident."

"S*t."

Iemitsu had hoped that it wouldn't have come back to bite him so soon. It was just shy of the massacre's anniversary.

The blond optimistically smiled. "But, I can use this."

XXX

Mukuro didn't know why he was called to Iemitsu's office. He hoped that it wasn't about pranks plaguing the new recruits. Because the Mist was totally, without question, not one of the perpetrators.

"Hello Mukuro, how have you been doing?"

The pleasantries and small talk continued for a few minutes. Mukuro suspected that Iemitsu was trying to put off doing paperwork for as long as possible.

"Lal found a Mist orphan. He's formerly from Carlian, and you're in charge of him."

"What?" Mukuro hissed, his voice full of vitriol.

At the disrespectful tone, Iemitsu narrowed his eyes at the Mist. Mukuro winced, and backed off. "My apologies, I was shocked and reacted badly."

Iemitsu inclined his head and continued. "His name is Fran Marchand, there's the file on him."

The blond man gestured towards the manila folder near the edge of his desk. Mukuro picked it up and put it under his arm, as politeness dictated he would look over the information later.

"You should consider touching base with Paprika, Cumin, and Parsley on this. You are young and training someone to use their Flames is no easy task," Iemitsu sagely suggested.

Mukuro nodded, although he was although he was slightly bitter- regardless of how right Iemitsu was- over his boss suggesting he needed help.

XXX

The first meeting of Mukuro and Fran did not go well. Snark and minor Illusions were traded, two passing rookies were traumatized, and a quarter of CEDEF HQ's cutlery were damaged.

However, today was the first day of training. For the first hour, Fran and Mukuro were more engaged in a battle of verbal sarcasm then getting anything done. By the second, both silently agreed to actually try doing something productive.

"Imagine a flower. The stem, the petals..." Mukuro's voice washed over Fran in a calming wave. The older Mist acted surprisingly patient whenever Fran formed a section and the previous one disappeared. The end result was a purple foxglove that looked as if it came from the gardens outside the window.

"Good." The older Mist's compliment broke Fran's concentration and the flower dissolved into nothing. The green-haired child looked up at his superior in shock. "What?

Mukuro rolled his eyes. "You did well. Good job."

A/N

Uffizi Gallery: "Located in the heart of Florence, the Uffizi Gallery hosts works of art by great Italian artists such as Botticelli, Giotto, Cimabue, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Raffaello, just to name a few of the most famous. Its large collection has works from all centuries but a large part dates back to the periods between the 12th and 17th centuries."-www .uffizi. org (remove spaces)

The Cinnabar moth, a bright red and black moth that can be found in Europe. It is a really pretty creature, I suggest googling it to see what it looks like.

Mukuro has been mentally affected by his time in the Estraneo, and his crimes, flashbacks and mild PTSD are to be expected.

Also, Mukuro's snark had a domino effect. In order of infection: Tsuna, Enma, Takeshi, and Dino. All blame for their sarcasm goes to the Pineapple.

At Fatti-chan: Well, unfortunately, things got moved around, so will be Fon show up next chapter.

-Silver


	16. Arc 4: Friends V

12\. I-Pin

It was an lazy afternoon in Namimori, Reborn and Tsuna were walking back home. Gokudera, Takeshi, and Ryohei had already split off from the duo to walk home.

Tsuna happily watched the leaves float and spin their way to the ground. Beside him, his godfather kept an eye on the environment. A sleepy Leon curled around Reborn's hat, the black fabric beneath the reptile was warm from the sun.

It would be incorrect to say that Reborn had been slouching, but he somehow managed to give off the impression that he straightened up. Leon got up, jumped down into Reborn's hand, and transformed into a lime green pistol.

"Chaos." The hitman turned around and greeted, his index finger a hairs-breadth from pulling the trigger. Tsuna had stopped watching the leaves and hid behind Reborn.

"Reborn." A man in a red da gau fu greeted. A serene smile was on his face. A small spindly monkey sat on the man's left shoulder. *

The hitman pulled his finger away from the trigger, but Leon remained in gun form. "What are you doing here Fon?"

"I came here to see my family."

"Doesn't explain why you're walking on the other side of Namimori." Reborn dryly pointed out.

"Currently, I'm looking for my apprentice, she wandered off. If you see a child in a red cheongsam, do send me a text." Fon requested. He strolled away at Reborn's nod of agreement.

Leon turned back into a chameleon, Reborn placed the lizard on his hat where Leon happily curled up once more.

Tsuna stared at the back of dangerous assassin that was now a red blur against the white pavement, black asphalt, brown trees, and pale houses.

"Reborn, who was that?"

Reborn tilted his head, thinking through mistakes, mistrust, and hours of companionable silence. "A...friend, of sorts."

XXX

"主 (Master)." Came the shy call and tug on the fearsome Hibari's pant leg.

The raven would have given a small smile at the cuteness of the child, if not for being mistaken for someone else. And that the person who he was obviously mistaken for was his uncle, who was currently in Japan.

"Name?" Hibari asked. Hibird chirped and landed on the child's head.

"主 ? (Master?)" The Chinese girl questioned.

"No." Hibari replied.

The girl apparently understood the answer, her cheeks turned pink from embarrassment, and she stopped holding Hibari's sleeve. A circle with a Chinese character appeared on her forehead.

The encounter did not end in a explosive disaster-pun intended-due to a worried mother's interference.

"Ah, are you lost?" A concerned brunette woman asked the girl. Startled out of her embarrassment, the timer stopped. Hibird flew off.

Hibari took the chance to disappear, determined to avoid anything regarding his uncle that day.

XXX

I-Pin and Lambo stared at each other. "Broccoli monster." Came the observation from the girl.

Lambo clenched his fists. He shouldn't hit a girl, according to Tsuna, Takeshi, and Ryohei. "Gotta stay calm, gotta stay calm..."

The raven burst into tears and reached into his afro. A purple bazooka was pulled out, the trigger pulled, and a puff of pink smoke enveloped the child.

"Yare yare, I was wondering when this would happen." A raven teen deadpanned.

Tsuna had just walked into the house, his head full of theories about the mysterious man he had seen. The brunette blinked at the strangely familiar teen with an afro. "Who are you?"

"Lambo Sawada, thirteen years old." The teen lazily replied.

"How?" The shocked brunette questioned.

Lambo nonchalantly shrugged. "Ten year bazooka."

Tsuna furrowed his eyebrows. "A...bazooka?"

The hitman strode into the living room and immediately sighed at the sight of a Chinese girl in a red cheongsam.

XXX

Rebornlovesespresso: I found your apprentice.

ChineseDragon: Thank you.

XXX

Fon immediately bowed when the door opened. "Thank you for taking care of her."

Nana Sawada smiled. "You're welcome, I'm happy to help. I know what it's like to lose a child. Please, come in."

The assassin stepped into the well worn home of a family who had too many connections to the criminal world and thrived on chaos. He smelled warm food on the stove, almost over powering lavender, and the acrid scent of gunpowder.

"You have a beautiful home," Fon complimented.

"Thank you. Now, about I-Pin, I have some questions." The woman kept her sugary sweet smile, but Fon detected a fury buried behind her facade.

XXX

LionsAbound: Reborn, why is Fon in my home?

Rebornlovesespresso: He was in the area.

LionsAbound: ...

LionsAbound: Who's the kid?

Rebornlovesespresso: Fon's apprentice, I-Pin.

LionsAbound: Nana?

Rebornlovesespresso: Nana already loves her.

Rebornlovesespresso: And argued with Fon about him raising a three year old female assassin around the Triads.

LionsAbound: Well then...

LionsAbound: Looks like I'm adopting another kid...

XXX

"There was once a castle in the midst of a large forest," Chrome began.

Lambo and I-Pin smiled as a large castle formed in the middle of the room.

The female Mist smiled and made a prince in shining armor. "In this castle was a prince who wished to seek adventure."

"So he decided to be an idiot and go out into the forest alone," Fran tacked on as he created a few trees and had the prince walked in front of them.

Chrome shook her head but went with the addition, "the prince courageously ventured into the forest. He aided a beautiful maiden against a group of robbers. They fell in love and swore they would never part." In a green forest, the man and beautiful woman linked arms

"Unfortunately, the prince was killed by the rampaging dragon," Fran interrupted with a smirk. The great scaled beast struck at the prince and the man fell on the ground. Lambo stuck his tongue out at the male Mist.

"The dragon flew off with the maiden, as the beast knew the prince would die from his wounds. However, a nearby wizard intervened and saved the prince from death," Chrome said.

A tall man in bright purple with a tall pointed hat appeared and waved a white wand over the fallen prince.

"The wizard and prince found the dragon and brutally killed it. Unknowingly, they triggered a terrible curse." Chanting was heard and the lighting turned eerie as a strange symbol appeared over the trio's head.

Chrome shook her head at her fellow story teller, "the wizard was great friends with the prince and maiden. After saying goog bye to the wizard, the two went to castle and married. A few years later, the two adventurers had three beautiful children."

Fran created three small figures of: Lambo, I-Pin, and himself. "One was lazy, one was studious, and one-"

"-And one needed to stop interrupting their younger siblings bed time story with dark twists," Basil interjected as he walked into the room.

Fran pouted, "but I'm bored, there's nothing else to do!"

The Rain raised an eyebrow, "oh? You don't have anything to do, what a shame. If you have so much energy, you can help me clean the armory. I'd hate for you to not be able to get to sleep tonight." The troublesome Mist apprentice was promptly dragged out.

The two small children and Chrome laughed. The story teller shook her head and continued the tale. "The lazy child and the studious child..."

XXX

13\. Fuuta

The weekend was often chaotic for the Sawada household. Even more so due to Iemitsu, Basil, Mukuro, and Dino visiting from Italy. The kitchen during breakfast was cramped.

About an hour before noon, Nana thought of a temporary solution.

"Let's go to the park for lunch." The mother proposed in the living room.

The rest of the household quickly agreed, and so they all helped get the food, blankets, and sports items ready.

XXX

There was a strange boy at the park. His eyes held wariness at their presence. He sat on a nearby bench, a large book beside him.

Once the group of mafiosos finished their meal, the boy approached them. He spoke to them in a somewhat roundabout manner, as he opened his book on the grass and read it aloud.

"Dino Chivarone, Lambo Bovino-Sawada, Tsunayoshi Sawada, Mukuro Sawada-Rokudo, Basil Sawada ranked #5 for 'kindest group of brothers'."

Some of the boys in the entry questioned how reliable the use of the word 'kindest' was in reference to their brothers.

"Iemitsu and Nana Sawada are ranked #1 for 'most in love couple'."

Nana pecked her husband's cheek. The two grinned at each other. 'Eww...' Came the disgusted thoughts and shudders from the couple's younger children. The husband and wife merely chuckled.

The strange boy read off the next entry. "World's best godfathers, #1 is Reborn."

The hitman smirked.

'His ego did not need that.' 'He's going to be insufferable for the next few days.' 'I hope training is going to be less tomorrow, but I'm sure it's going to be more.' Some of the spectators mentally groaned.

"You're Fuuta de la Stella? The ranking kid, you ran from Milan to here?" Reborn guessed. The blond anxiously nodded.

Iemitsu frowned. "No family and no home?"

The child fiddled with his black white scarf, a frown on his face. "Yes."

"Nana?" Iemitsu looked to his wife.

The woman smiled. "You're welcome to join ours."

Fuuta smiled in relief. "Thank you so much."

The house would be even more crowded, but less space was a acceptable price for adopting a boy with nothing.

XXX

Italy

The part of Iemitsu's family that lived in Japan had arrived in Sicily.

Basil was showing Fuuta around CEDEF HQ. The latter looked at everything with wide eyes and kept a tight grip on a small journal book in his left hand.

A colorful snake with a triangular head lunged for Fuuta from under a hallway table. He jumped back, instinctively using his journal as a the reaction, someone chuckled. Before the serpent reached him, it turned into a pile of vibrant flower petals.

A child with a green hat-whether it was an apple or a frog one could not tell-suddenly appeared and propped his elbows on the table.

Basil shook his head and said in a warning tone, "Fran."

"Yes, Basil?" The Mist's replied with a smirk.

"You're not allowed to jump scare people. Especially after last week, boss is still annoyed about that. You terrified what was a possible ally."

"And now the family is our ally, what's the problem?" Fran deadpanned.

Basil sighed and then looked to Fuuta. The child had opened his journal, now absorbed in his thoughts.

The Rain smiled and fore-warned, "he does it with everyone he meets. So don't freak out."

Fran raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Small objects drifted upwards. Basil nonchalantly grabbed onto the table's nearby vase, whose water was slowly spilling into the air.

"Fran, ranked # 26 out of 'best child Mists' and # 8 in 'most devious children'." Fuuta stated and wrote down in his book.

The anti-gravity ended and Basil placed the vase back on the table.

The Mist huh'ed, slightly impressed, "that's a new one."

14\. Byakuran

Byakuran's largest mistake in excecuting his 'take over the world' plan and best life decision in this universe was when he went on a impromptu trip to Japan.

He did not expect the kid to come up to him in the park.

"Hello, did you see where my sibling's ball went?" Tsunayoshi Sawada asked, unknowingly talking to someone who had murdered him in alternate future universes.

'This is the kid who's supposed to be my greatest enemy?' Mentally, the whitenette's jaw dropped. Byakuran smiled apologetically, "no, sorry."

Tsuna walked away. As it turned out, the ball had managed to wedge itself into a fork at the top of a tree. A group of children gathered around to discuss problem.

"It's too high up." A short puffy haired raven child complained. 'Lambo', Byakuran's mind supplied. Less bratty then other versions, perhaps?

"It is pretty high up." The purple haired girl, 'Chrome', agreed. Byakuran was surprised due to her having two eyes. Apparently, she was rescued before she lost one? 'That rarely happens in any universe.'

"I guess we can knock it down?" Tsuna suggested.

"Using what?" A stymied blond questioned. 'Fuuta de Stella is less reserved,' Byakuran noted.

A blue pineapple child smirked and formed a long brown stick in his hands. "How about this?"

The white haired marshmallow lover grinned. 'Mukuro Rokudo, he seems less...evil. that's the only way I can put it. This universe is quite different. The meeting times were moved up, so they changed. Interesting.'

XXX

The group of children had piled on each other's shoulders in an attempt to reach the ball.

"Hie!" Came the cry as the tower fell.

All of the children groaned in pain. Fortunately-the grass around the tree was tall and thick-and so the children suffered only from minor bruises. Mukuro and another child, Fran, refrained from participating and smirked at their companions failure.

Byakuran chuckled. 'These kids antics... Well, it would be a problem if my arch enemy has brain damage from trying a stunt like that again...'

The white haired teen strode over to the kids. "Hello, you want some help?"

XXX

After getting the ball down, Byakuran was dragged off to meet his enemies's mom.

The children headed towards an insanely large picnic blanket.

"Mom, he got our ball down!" Tsuna chirped.

"Oh, did he? Thank you so much. I'm Nana Sawada, their mother." The woman beamed a smile at the stranger.

"It was my pleasure to help." Byakuran replied with a sugary sweet smile. 'Nana Sawada, I know little about her. Except that she's a retired assassin, with a mask perfect enough to rival her husband's.'

A child with a braid sat beside the mother and continued to make sandwiches.

Byakuran smiled. 'I-Pin, Fon's apprentice. She looks happy.'

On the blanket were two picnic baskets and a tool kit, a bowl, empty round containers. The bowl contained a dark grey substance that suspiciously smelled of gunpowder.

In the middle of the three odd things, a silver haired boy was working on something. Assumed to be making weapons of some sort, most likely explosive in nature.

Byakuran raised an eyebrow. 'Gokudera looks...calm.'

"Would you like to join us for lunch? We have more food then we can eat." Nana offered.

Byakuran politely agreed. "If it's not any trouble. Thank you very much Mrs. Sawada."

There were several types of sandwiches:Ham, roast beef, and peanut butter and jelly.

There was a period of mostly silence as the kids scarfed down food as fast as they could without choking.

Lambo grinned and suggested, "can we have desert now?"

Nana raised an eyebrow, chidingly responding, "after all that? You'll burst."

"Please mom." "Please." " Please!" Came the begging chorus from the children. Byakuran chuckled.

"You only get a small piece, no more for now," Nana decided. The kids happily smiled.

Only a short time later, Byakuran had his first taste of Nana's marshmallow cake. The white haired teen's eyes lit up in pleasure. 'Well, I think I just sold all of my future plans for this food and friendship with a crazy group I was going to make an enemy out of.'

Byakuran looked around the picnic blanket, already the children had finished the cake and had started playing and bickering with each other. 'Meh, it's not that bad of a trade. World domination is over done and annoying anyways.'

A/N

Da gua fu looks to be what adult Fon wears. It's a traditional Chinese tunic.

-Silver


	17. Arc 5: Family

Japan

"Nana, I think we adopted...a dozen kids over the past three years." Iemitsu declared his realization with no small amount of horror.

Nana laughed. "I think so too." The mother hummed in thought. "They're good kids."

Iemitsu thought of Mukuro, Fran, and all the other troublemakers. "Ehh..."

Nana punched her husband in the shoulder with an exasperated look. "Ow," Iemitsu complained.

"All of them," the mother insisted, and folded her arms.

"Okay, okay, you're right dear. They all care and help each other after all," Iemitsu conceded.

There was silence in the bedroom for a while.

Iemitsu had another horrifying thought. "What are we going to do when they're teenagers?"

Nana chuckled. "We'll manage somehow. We have Reborn to keep an eye on them as well."

Iemitsu agreed. "True. We'll figure out how to manage. And we have Reborn to help out when we're stretched thin."

Nana smiled and kissed her husband on the cheek.

XXX

There was a certain...insanity that was accepted in Namimori. The craziness seemed to emanate from Namimori Middle school in particular. The Namimori Middle's Disciplinary Committee and its President Hibari ruled supreme overall, except Tsunayoshi Sawada's group of friends. The latter consisted of: Tsuna, Enma, Takeshi, the Sasagawa siblings, Gokudera, and a few others that walked to and from school together. The street where these children lived seemed to also be infected by strange happenings.

XXX

Italy

Iemitsu stared at the ceiling. His mind was empty of solutions and he had far too much paperwork to get through today.

"Something is weighing on your mind," Reborn commented.

Iemitsu grimaced, "there's going to be a fight over the Decimo title."

Reborn raised a black eyebrow, although it was concealed by his fedora. "There's going to be a fight between Xanxus and Frederico? The former is still 'on ice.'"

Iemitsu snorted and waved Reborn's question away. "Xanxus will escape soon and kill Frederico, he will try to destroy his competition like before."

Reborn's eyes narrowed. "Xanxus is still in the 'freezer', until that changes there won't be a problem. Does Nono know about...?"

"He suspects Iemitsu in the deaths of his two older brothers. I told him before the...incident. But he didn't believe me."

"So what you've been predicting is: Xanxus gets out, kills Frederico, and becomes Decimo. He leads Vongola down a path of bloodshed and the hope of reforming Vongola is torn to shreds," Reborn summarized.

Iemitsu nodded. "Exactly. Xanxus can't be Decimo."

The particular choice of words caused Reborn's eyes to narrow. It was a 'can't' not a 'shouldn't be'. The hitman smirked. "You're leaving something out."

Iemitsu smiled wryly as he revealed, "Xanxus was adopted. He does not have Vongola blood."

Reborn's lips thinned. "You're not lying," he noted. "This is a problem, the seniors will drag whoever is next in line into the position."

"Exactly, assuming Frederico dies, I'm the next in the blood line, Tsuna is third. If the main part of Vongola would accept the former CEDEF leader as Decimo, I would take the position."

"But they won't. It's been a tradition held since Terza (Third)," Reborn concluded.

"I know you've been helping him train for self defense reasons. But given the current situation, I want you to train him to be able to survive the mafia. There's no one better for the job," Iemitsu said, although his tone was neutral his eyes were pleading.

Reborn nodded his assent. "And his training of etiquette, negotiating, and so on?"

"I will handle that, later on."

XXX

Tsuna swung, Reborn dodged. Tsuna kicked at Reborn, Reborn moved out of the way and tripped Tsuna. The boy huffed with annoyance and got up.

Tsuna swung with his right hand and then tried to uppercut his Godfather with his left. Reborn caught the right, avoided the left punch, moved to the left, and pulled Tsuna off balance.

The brunette child let out a 'hie' as he stumbled forward.

Reborn sighed, he had a lot of work to do.

XXX

Colonello wasn't expecting to get a bunch of children dumped on him and Lal. However, Iemitsu was in an emergency meeting about three Families having a turf war. The topics being discussed were rather obviously not appropriate for kids, so emergency babysitter(s) had been needed.

"So, uh, do you guys want to do something?" Colonello awkwardly asked.

Lambo and I-Pin were staring out a window, awed at the sight of the CEDEF HQ's grounds. The male Mists had already started a game of poker with a scowling Gokudera and chuckling Takeshi. Chrome and Tsuna were quietly talking in a corner together, small smiles on their faces. In the opposite corner, Basil was reading a book, a rather old one considering its weathered and cracked cover. Beside Basil, Fuuta sat and was also reading, however it was a newly printed book, its pages recently inked and smelling of fresh new paper.

Lal Mirch elbowed her boyfriend and ordered, "just sit down. Enjoy the peace while it lasts and watch out for explosives."

"Explosives?" Colonello asked in confusion.

Lal dismissed his disbelief with a wave of her hand, "just wait."

Three minutes later, a stick of dynamite had been lit at the poker game area. Apparently, Gokudera was horrible at not giving away whether his hand was good or not.

Lal Mirch threw a knife and cut the wick off. "Gokudera, no explosives are allowed to be used in the house unless there's an emergency. You know that," the woman lectured.

Takeshi tilted his head, a sympathetic frown on his face. Tsuna and Chrome gave a look of quiet disappointment towards Gokudera. I-Pin watched silently and Lambo laughed at his older brother. Basil and Fuuta glanced from their books briefly, but quickly went back to reading.

"Chikusa and Ken are going to laugh when they hear about this," Mukuro commented with a smirk. Fran smirked in agreement and dealt the next hand.

As it ended up, Lal took away Gokudera's dynamite privileges for a week. And from that day, Colonello decided to just shrug and not spend the time trying to figure out the Sawadas, as he would never be able to.

XXX

Reborn took a sip of his espresso, it was rather good, he would have to remember this cafe. He tilted his head to the side as he tried to figure out what Tsuna was drawing in his small leather sketch book. A person? Possibly Kyoko, the hitman had noticed his godson's slowly developing crush.

Reborn grimaced as he saw his old friends (not that he would ever admit it outloud) at a table across the room. The group sat and talked. He noted that they were unusually quiet.

Fon had his hands in his long sleeves, his eyes were closed, and a small smile was displayed on his face. Lal Mirch and Colonello were in the midst of a hushed argument. Skull was bored and messing with his sundae, arbitrarily moving around whip cream and chocolate icecream.

Aria was eating a sandwich and watching the rest of her table with a smile.

Reborn settled his gaze on a cloaked figure with purple face tattoos longer then he should have. Mammon looked up from her soup and looked directly at Reborn. The hitman softly cursed and mentally ran through his options. He quickly settled on bribing the woman and made four quick gestures to communicate his offer. 'You', 'shh', 'money', '?'.

In response, Mammon elbowed Skull and continued looking towards Reborn. The Cloud raised an eyebrow but followed Mammon's gaze. Skull's jaw fell as he saw Reborn and an young teen at a table on the other side of the room.

Reborn growled under his breath and glared at Mammon. Tsuna blinked and looked up at his Godfather. "Is something wrong?" "I think some...acquaintances of mine have noticed I'm here. They'll likely come over soon to say...'hello'."

Skull elbowed Fon. The Chinese martial artist opened his eyes and noticed the gaze of his two friends. Fon politely coughed and gestured towards Reborn. Six members of the Arcobaleno stared, rather surprised at the appearance of their missing member.

As the men and women got up and walked towards him, Reborn briefly contemplated grabbing Tsuna and running.

"Who's the kid?" Skull bluntly asked.

"My godson," Reborn deadpanned.

"Hey Tsuna," Lal Mirch said, a small smile on her face.

Colonello leaned an elbow on his girlfriend's shoulder and held a hand out for a fist bump. "Hey Tsuna, how are you?"

The brunette grinned and fist bumped the Rain. "I'm doing good, just working on some sketching right now. How are you two?"

"We're doing pretty good," Colonello replied with a smile.

"Tsuna," Fon greeted. "How have you and your family been doing?"

Tsuna grinned and gestured as he talked. "We're all doing great. Mom got a new cutting board yesterday. Mukuro and Basil met up with us last night. Chrome's in my class this year. Oh, and Lambo and I-Pin have been learning how to read and write Japanese and Italian." The teen beamed at Fon.

The martial artist found himself smiling widely in return. "That's wonderful," he softly said.

"I'm Aria. And, this is Skull and Mammon," the Sky introduced. Mammon smirked and gave a slight nod of acknowledgement.

"Hey man, nice to meet you," Skull enthusiastically said with a smile.

"Hi. Umm...what do you like to do?" Tsuna asked with curiosity.

While the rest of the Arcobaleno didn't blend in with an Italian crowd by any means, Skull was rather unusual with his bright purple hair and pierced ears with long chains, plus he was wearing a bright purple hoodie and black sweatpants. The man would not be inconspicuous unless he was at a rock concert.

Skull grinned. "I do stunts for fun and as part of different circuses and stuff. I'm really great. Maybe I'll be able to show you sometime. I love playing with my octopus, Oodako. And I love working on cars and motorcycles, I've even built a few of 'em."

"Ooo, all of that sounds cool."

And...looks like Tsuna and Skull are friends now, that was a definite con from Reborn's perspective.

"What do you like to do Tsuna?" Aria asked.

"I love to draw! I usually sketch stuff, I'm not into painting. I can show you some of mine if you want me to?"

"Of course," Skull affirmed, a grin still firmly on his face.

The Lackey had always been more like an overjoyed Sun when not acting like a boasting idiot. So, maybe it wouldn't be too horrible, Reborn amended. As long as Reborn was there to hit the Skull when he was acting like a moron.

XXX

Japan

48 hours

At four in the morning, the phone rang in the Sawada's house. Nana got up and picked up the phone in the hallway.

"Is this the Sawada residence?" A gravely voice asked.

"Hello, it is. What is this about?" Nana brightly greeted.

"We have someone here who wants to say 'hello'," the voice smugly said.

"Mom?" A child asked, his voice hopeful.

Nana's eyes narrowed and she bit her lip. "Tsuna?" She questioned, holding back a sob.

The voice chuckled, a dark sadistic undertone prevalent in his tone. "Don't call the cops or the kid dies. Tell Iemitsu to get together 250,000 USD. I'll call in two days to tell you the drop off place."

"Alright," Nana agreed with tears in her eyes.

XXX

Over Russia

46 hours

Iemitsu glared at his phone. He had sent out some feelers around Japan. However, the reports from his spies had come up with nothing so far.

At least Iemitsu had figured out why

no one had seen anything. Undoubtedly, a Mist was one of the the kidnappers. Which meant that they were likely dealing with a few Flame users.

As to why Reborn hadn't been there to notice the kidnapping, was because he had also been on a job in South Korea yesterday. The chance of the two events-Reborn's absence and Tsuna's kidnapping-lining up like that was rather low. Which is why Iemitsu might also have a mole in his family's security team.

XXX

Over China

37 hours

Iemitsu smirked at the new email he had received. It was a tip off from an old acquaintance, a retired French assassin.

"They're in Sapporo," he murmured to himself in relief. It seems his network was good for something worthwhile after all.

Plus, his son wasn't too far away. Rescues with a short time limit get complicated if the person is several countries away.

XXX

Namimori, Japan

35 hours

Iemitsu walked in the back door and headed to the kitchen. In the living room Lambo, I-Pin, Fuuta, Chrome, Gokudera and Takeshi sat, all shell shocked and worried. Iemitsu gave hugs, ruffled hair, and extended his Sky Flames to the children to help them.

Once Gokudera and Chrome started helping the others, Iemitsu moved towards the kitchen. Reborn was staring at the table, fedora pulled down unusually low. Leon was curled around right side of the hitman's neck in an attempt to provide some comfort.

Iemitsu put a cautious hand on Reborn's shoulder, the one without Leon, and sent a trickle of his Sky Flames towards the other man. Reborn moved his head slightly and replied in kind with a tendril of warm Sun Flames. Iemitsu let go Reborn's shoulder and walked towards his wife.

Nana had been leaning against the counter. She turned around and gave a sad smile. "Hello Iemitsu," she said in an emotion choked voice and started to cry. The two hugged.

After a short while, Nana's tears subsided and she pulled slightly away in order to look at her husband's face.

There was steel in Nana's eyes, that of a sword chipped yet not broken. A sword ready and wishing for a fight, but providing defense and a safe fortress, a home, instead of going out and creating a bloody battlefield.

"Dear, get Tsuna, give the ones who have done this their due, and come home," Nana whispered.

"My love, I promise I will," Iemitsu replied, his voice was quiet but full of strength.

Reborn pursed his lips and his mind was far away. But both he and Iemitsu had a certain thread in common with their thoughts: 'whoever did this will pay.'

XXX

34 hours

"We have 34 hours and forty eight minutes left until the second ransom call. Thoughts?" Iemitsu asked.

Reborn smirked. "Nip it off at the bud. We attack them before then."

"If we fail..."

"Yes, but this is a bad situation either way. We have no idea who they are, only the city they're in," Reborn pointed out.

Iemitsu sighed then grinned. "Alright then. We're doing this. Let's give 'em h*l."

XXX

Over Japan

32 hours

They were disguised as flight attendants. Reborn had hidden his sideburns, slicked back his hair, and used makeup to turn his pale complexion into a tan. Iemitsu dyed his hair brown, darkened his eyes with contacts, and applied light makeup in order to look about ten years younger then he was.

The two served the passengers with plastic smiles on their faces and faux warmth.

XXX

Sapporo, Hokkaido

19 hours

Every criminal needs a good money launderer, which makes them a weird version of Yellow Pages. They held a lot of information about people and their schemes.

A local money launderer had been all too willing to talk after being simultaneously threatened and bribed by the CEDEF leader. His intel had led them to a dingy house on the edge of Sapporo. While Reborn got a hotel room nearby and scouted the place out, Iemitsu ran some errands.

Although they would have loved to run in the place and just wing it, that would have likely ended up with injuries or the death of Tsuna. Especially if this place was the wrong place and the hostage was elsewhere.

XXX

18 hours

Underground shops that sell weapons are hard to find. Having a physical location is risky and having a hardcore vetting system is a must. Luckily, Iemitsu knew a lot of highly respected people.

"I'll take these," the CEDEF Leader said and dropped two flash grenades, and one modified taser on the shoddy counter.

When you're trying to be quiet, instead of getting a gun, get a taser. When you want to surprise someone, don't just pop up, toss a flash grenade and take advantage of your enemie's temporary blindness.

XXX

Rebornlikesespresso: Five men. Two entrances to the house.

XXX

17 hours

Grocery stores are a necessity when going places on the down low. Restaurants are usually full of people and cameras, while small family run grocery stores might have five strangers and only one camera at the counter. Also, staying healthy and working on your cooking skills is a bonus.

Iemitsu's basket was filled with vegetables and meat slices. He grabbed a plastic spatula, a iron skillet, and another red bell pepper before heading to the check out. He tugged his base ball cap down further and smiled at the cashier before leaving.

XXX

Rebornlikesespresso: There's a padlock on the back door.

XXX

Most computers stores carry screen dusters. Buy a can of screen duster, turn it upside down, and you've got it in liquid form. It's cold enough to crystallize the metal in many commercial locks. A hammer can take care of the rest.

Iemitsu placed his newly bought can of screen duster next to the taser.

XXX

Hardware stores are full of many different things. Knobs, bolts, wrenches, paint...and hammers.

Iemitsu grabbed a hammer and gently swung it. He smiled and put it in his basket.

XXX

10 hours

"Police, open up!" Iemitsu yelled as he broke a window and lobbed a flash grenade in. Reborn started freezing the lock on the back door.

The kidnappers shouted and moved away towards the back of the room. What use was a hostage when you were dead?

Tsuna threw all off his weight to the right and caused to the chair he was tied to fall over. By doing so, his face was protected from the explosion.

The grenade exploded and Iemitsu chucked another one in. One of the kidnappers loosed a wild shot at the broken window. Tsuna started trying to work his hands free. The kidnappers turned their backs on the explosive and put a hand over their eyes.

Reborn hit the lock with a hammer, it cleanly broke off and fell to the ground. Leon turned into a shotgun and he strolled through the door.

Aim and pull. The first man went down. Aim and pull. The second stumbled back and received a bullet in the head. Aim and pull. The two still alive reached for their weapons. Aim and pull. The one left alive pointed his gun at Reborn.

A few feet away, Iemitsu turned on a taser and stabbed the air. However, what appeared to be air was not air, a man dropped to the floor in front of Iemitsu and the Illusion that had pointed it's gun at Reborn vanished. The two Mafioso watched their enemy's agony without a shred of sympathy.

"Hey Tuna-fish," Iemitsu quietly said as untied his son's restraints.

"Dad?"

"Yeah, me and Uncle Reborn are here. Everything's going to be fine," Iemitsu reassured with a smile that was close to shattering.

XXX

Regular visits with a trusted mafia therapist that had dealt with children before were promptly scheduled for Tsuna.

XXX

Iemitsu sighed. He and Reborn had given Tsuna two days to rest up from being kidnapped. However, today was the third day. And a very important conversation needed to happen.

He went to his son's room after breakfast. Reborn silently followed.

"Hey Tsuna," Iemitsu said and sat on the bed. Reborn stood in the corner, a silent watching wraith.

"The first time you were kidnapped was by the Estraneo. They were a Mafia Famiglia that experimented on humans. They were destroyed by Vongola, but you escaped beforehand and met Reborn. All of us are involved in the underworld in some shape or form, including many of your friends. You've likely figured all of this out, right?"

Tsuna nodded.

"Alright, here's what you don't know. Ieyasu Sawada, was the new identity of the Vongola Primo, Giotto di Vongola. He created Vongola to be a vigilante organization but after he left it became a Mafia group. Both of us are descendants of Giotto. Our line has Hyper Intuition and extremely strong Sky Flames.

"Currently, Vongola is the strongest Mafia group. I am a leader of the CEDEF, the second in command and in charge of spying on other groups."

Tsuna frowned. "So...all of this is why I've been kidnapped?"

"Yes."

"Why did you keep this from me?" The brunette teen demanded.

"At what point would you tell your child about your involvement in the Mafia?" Iemitsu mused. "Many choose never. However, due to your kidnapping and the unfortunate likelihood of you ending up as the Vongola Decimo I have decided to tell you now."

Tsuna's gaze sharpened as he asked, "is that why Uncle's training has been harder since summer?"

"Somethings are going to happen. You are a possible target due to my proximity to you. You will be a rather blatant target to go for if Frederico dies. If he does, the Varia will come for you and your friends. Reborn has been training you so that you can survive, can keep the others safe, and can act out the basics of Mafia Boss rules."

"Why will the Varia come for me?" Tsuna asked in a small voice.

"Because you will be the only other one with a claim to the Decimo title." Iemitsu then grumbled under his breath, "because Xanxus is insecure, paranoid, and a bloodthirsty a*e."

"So I'm stuck? Is that what you're saying?" Tsuna questioned with a tilt of his head.

"Unfortunately, we all are to a point," Iemitsu confirmed.

For a while there was silence as Tsuna frowned deeply and thought. "Dad, you said that Vongola used to be a vigilante organization, right?" He slowly asked.

"Correct."

"Why is it not anymore?"

Iemitsu grimaced. "The short version of it is: Secondo took over and things went downhill from there."

Tsuna looked his Dad squarely in the eyes. "In your opinion, would it be possible to turn Vongola vigilante?"

"Yes," Iemitsu responded immediately.

Tsuna's eyes hardened with resolve. Small flecks of orange in appeared among the chocolate brown. "Then, that, is my goal and my one condition. I will turn Vongola from a mafia family to a group of vigilantes."

Iemitsu grinned. "That is far more than acceptable, Tuna-fish."

"Dad," the teenager complained. He wrinkled his nose at the nickname.

"What?" The father teased.

XXX

Reborn felt lazy, he'd been sleeping in a hammock for several hours. Leon was curled up on his wrist, fast asleep in the window's ray of sunlight. He opened his eyes as the chameleon buzzed and turned into a green cellphone.

"Chaos," Reborn greeted.

"Good afternoon. As suspected, things are...moving along," Iemitsu revealed in a tense voice.

Reborn shifted slightly in the hammock. "How quickly?"

"I've heard rumors of an...escape being planned. When Varia comes knocking..." Iemitsu trailed off.

Reborn smirked. "They won't know what hit them."

"I'll count on it."

A/N

Flights: 12 hours and 30 minutes from Italy to Japan. 1 hour 32 minutes from Tokyo to Hokkaido.

It took one quote directly from Burn Notice Season 1 Episode 12. "Freon is available at most computer stores. Buy a can of screen duster, turn it upside down, and you've got it in liquid form. It's cold enough to crystallize the metal in many commercial locks. A hammer can take care of the rest." I was also inspired by several other tips from the show.

-Silver


	18. Arc 5: The Varia I

Kyoya Hibari was not expecting summons from his father. Nor was he expecting the first sentence out of his father's mouth.

"Your Sky is Iemitsu's son, correct?" Mr. Hibari asked with a penetrating stare. His eyes were deep and dangerous, a large black lake with unknown monsters and lurking eldritch abominations.

"Yes, father," Kyoya affirmed. The teenager kept his expression neutral. Although, it hadn't been outright admitted, as he kept aloof as most Clouds did. Well, he had been keeping tabs on his fellow Elements and jumping in when they were about to keep mugged or killed. And he allowed them on the roof, Kyoya was surprised that he'd managed to tolerate the presence of his overly loud fellow Elements for the past few years.

"Iemitsu has sent half of the Vongola rings to Japan. Prepare to fight the Varia Cloud," Mr. Hibari ordered. His tone was strong and allowed for no argument.

Kyoya slowly nodded. "Of course, father."

"You are dismissed."

Kyoya bowed and left with a bloodthirsty smirk.

XXX

Mukuro and Dino knocked on the front door. Nana answered and ushered them inside.

In the living room, Tsuna, Takeshi, Gokudera, and Chrome were having a study session. Dino gave a quick hello and then headed to the kitchen.

At the table, Reborn was reading a book. In an adjacent chair, Basil was reading through CEDEF reports, he had changed clothes due to the slits from Squalo Superbi's sword. Lambo and I-Pin were drawing on sheets of paper on the tiled floor.

"Hello, we've got the rings," Dino exclaimed. He pulled out a case from his jacket and opened it to reveal the half-rings.

Reborn glanced up from his book. "Good."

XXX

"Alright Tsuna and Gokudera, here's your rings. Don't lose them." Reborn said and tossed a weird ring to each.

"What are the rings for?" Tsuna asked.

"That's a Sky half-ring. When put together with the other half, it makes up the Vongola Sky ring. Iemitsu has vouched for you, which means the rings are split up and given to the candidates. Soon, there will be battle to decide who becomes Decimo," Reborn explained in a patient voice.

"But Basil had what he was carrying stolen?" Gokudera queried.

Reborn smirked. "Iemitsu bought us some extra time by having Squalo think he made off with our half-rings."

XXX

"Tsuyoshi, the Varia will be here soon," Iemitsu reluctantly started.

"You want me to teach my son that style," Tsuyoshi guessed.

Iemitsu cleared his throat. "Yes."

"He's already stuck on this path. As am I. So...I'll do it. But I swear, Iemitsu, I swear, if my son dies during his fight, I will hold you personally responsible."

"...Alright, Tsuyoshi. Train him the best you can. I promise that I will intercede if my HI tells me he is going to die."

XXX

Reborn decided to bluntly ask about the elephant in the roo. that had been hanging around since the half-rings showed up. "Will you allow Lambo to fight?"

"No. He's four," Nana staunchly rejected with a frown.

Iemitsu clasped his hands together. "If Lambo used the ten year bazooka, would you allow him to fight?"

Nana's face spoke clearly to her worry and sadness. She bit her bottom lip and looked away. "Tsuna has to have a Lighting and I knew it'd be Lambo...but I didn't think it'd be this soon. Alright, I will agree. But Lambo must use it immediately after, no, no, before the fight starts. Promise me this now."

"I promise," both men replied.

XXX

Reborn watched Leon wander down his arm with detached interest.

"Dino helping Hibari, Mukuro and Chrome are training with each other, Tsuyoshi is taking care of teaching his son, Shamal will be here soon, and you've been making progress with Tsuna. However, I do have one particular child I'm currently concerned about: Ryohei Sasagawa. Colonello is mentoring him, correct?" Iemitsu questioned as he glanced through a file on Ryohei Sasagawa.

"Yes," Reborn curtly replied.

"Flames?"

Reborn trailed a finger over Leon's scaly skin. The chameleon shifted towards the source of heat. "He is a Sun, as you well know. Ryohei's Flames are decently strong, also his fighting skills are above average."

"Why else do you pick him?" Iemitsu queried.

"He was the strongest Sun in the immediate area," Reborn said with a small shrug.

"Strongest currently doesn't mean will or can be the strongest in a few years. You look at potential, that's why you teach well. Plus, he's the only one without a direct tie to the Mafia," Iemitsu pointed out. "You must have had some a reason other than 'current strongest', I assume?"

Leon nudged Reborn's finger, asking to be petted. The hitman complied. "He pushes past his limits with a optimistic disposition. Ryohei does everything whole heartedly. They need a strong Sun to keep the days from being dreary and over cast. They need a strong Sun to keep them from despairing over life and a peer encourage them. Ryohei Sasagawa was the best choice."

"Emotional support?" Iemitsu hummed, "a valid point."

XXX

Italy

"What have you found about the trash candidates?" Xanxus asked. The Boss of the Varia had a permanent scowl on his face and a held a party empty bottle of expensive wine in the other.

"Well, it's a bit hard to get intel on them, since the CEDEF has managed to pull most things regarding them from the files Vongola HQ has. But that can't stop a prince. Shi shi shi." Bel, a blond teen with a tiara responded.

Mammon placed a stack of files on Xanxus's desk. "So far, we know about :Tsunayoshi Sawada, a Sky, and Iemitsu's son. Supposedly, Reborn has been training the kid. Hayato Gokudera, Storm, an illegitimate child, freelance assassin, and was dubbed 'Smoking Bomb Hayato'. Takeshi Yamamoto, Rain, son of Tsuyoshi Yamamato, who was a freelance assassin and former CEDEF member. Kyoya Hibari, Cloud, son of Ryuuichi Hibari, nephew of Fon. Chrome Sawada and Mukuro Rokudo-Sawada are both talented Mists, which one is the Mist Gaurdian is unknown. The files go into further details."

"You have no idea who the Sun or Lightning is?" Xanxus questioned with a glare.

"The entire underworld is completely in the dark about who they are," Mammon shot back.

XXX

It was very early in the morning, the sun had yet to rise. Iemitsu and Reborn were awake, but no one else in the Sawada Household was.

Iemitsu stared at the coffee cup in his hands. "Reborn, he's become a worthy successor. You've done well, my friend."

Reborn tipped his hat slightly. "Thank you. Now, we just have to make sure he survives to succeed."

XXX

When Tsuna, Reborn, and Basil came home from training, Iemitsu was lacing up his boots in the foyer.

"I need to go welcome some uninvited guests," Iemitsu stated. "Reborn, do save some food for me."

"Of course."

"Dad? Where are you going?" Tsuna asked.

Iemitsu stood up. "I'm going to check the perimeter and make sure the Varia don't try to steal the rings. I heard it was Levi-Than's Thunder Unit, so i assume they're after Lightning."

Tsuna furrowed his eyesbrows. "But, how could they tell who has it?"

"Because of Mammon," Reborn curtly explained.

Iemitsu nodded and opened the door. "Basil, come with me. Reborn, save some for Basil too. Tsuna, go stay near Lambo."

"Yes Boss," the blond teen immediately replied and trailed after Iemitsu.

"Wait, Lambo?" Tsuna asked with a dumbstruck look.

XXX

"01, it looks like the Lightning half-ring is in a house." A man clothed in black radioed in.

"02, it's the Sawada House. I don't see Iemitsu or Reborn."

"04, should we attack?"

"02, go ahead 0-" The sound of a gunshot interrupted 02.

"03, anyone see what happened to 02?"

"Hello, this is Iemitsu Sawada, the CEDEF Leader. I really don't appreciate someone planning on attacking my family. If you refuse to not attack, I won't hesitate knocking out or killing all of you. Including you, Xanxus. I sent out an order yesterday that this will be decided in the traditional way. As such, you must abide by the Vongola Battle rules. Well, perhaps you didn't hear of the order, but it is in effect regardless."

Xanxus ground his teeth together in outrage, he was stuck. Varia's plan of a surprise attack in order to avoid a Vongola Battle was now thrown out the window. All because of Iemitsu's interference.

XXX

Japan

The Cervello Organization, who claimed to be under Nono directly, would referee the matches. A match would be held at Namimori Middle once a day. Reborn wasn't worried per say, however the thought that one of the kids wouldn't make it out alive had been gnawing at him.

XXX

Sun

The arena was revealed to be a boxing ring.

Basil and Iemitsu were stuck outside, watching the events through the large windows of Namimori Middle's gym.

Reborn sighed as the children reluctantly circled around and cheered, "go Ryohei!" Well, Ryohei and Takeshi cheered, no one else did.

Ryohei and Lussuria, the spiky haired Varia Sun, entered the ring.

"As a rule, we will have you hang the ring from your neck. After defeating their opponent and taking the ring, that person will be declared the victor," one of the Cervello women declared.

Lussuria made some bizarre comments that had Reborn's trigger finger itching. Rather unfortunately for the Varia Sun, he then immediately insulted boxing to Ryohei's face. The boy was rather mad.

"Begin the battle!" A Cervello declared.

Blinding white light filled the gym. Reborn pulled out some sunglasses and started handing them out.

'Ugh, I can't open my eyes. I can't see,' Ryohei thought. Lussuria kneed the boy in the stomach.

"The person from Varia is wearing shades so he can move freely. This isn't a fair match," Tsuna observed with annoyance.

"We will not accept any contact with the Gaurdian during the battle. If you dim then we will consider it a disqualification and take the ring away," a Cervello woman warned.

"Where are you?" Ryohei yelled.

"This way," Lussuria said and punched the boy.

Ryohei hit the side of the ring and screamed.

"With an electrical metal wire, the rope is super heated to several hundred degrees," a Cervello blandly revealed.

Tsuna bit his lip, resisting the urge to jump in the ring and help.

Ryohei got a hit in that sent Lussuria flying. However that seemed to be part of the Varia Sun's plan as he flew back down with unusual grace.

"I've got you!" Ryohei shouted. Lussuria smirked. Ryohei hit Lussuria's left kneecap and he felt several bones break in his left hand. Reborn clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"My left knee has a metal plate. Your fist is useless now," Lussuria commented.

"Hey, stand up!" Colonello shouted as he walked in. His eagle was proudly perched on his shoulder, feathers puffed up and ready to fight.

"Hey, that guy is Colonello, one of the Arcobaleno," Squalo pointed out.

"I got a phone call from Lal, so I was late. Go ahead and show him your true strength, Ryohei!" Colonello urged.

"No matter who talks, this boy is finished," Lussuria commented with a smirk.

"Mister Colonello, I've been waiting for those words!" Ryohei shouted as he struggled to stand.

Reborn watched in silence as Lussuria knocked the kid down and Ryohei stood up again.

"Maximum Canon!" Ryohei yelled as a stream of bright yellow fire surged out. The Varia Sun was knocked to the floor.

Reborn smirked as Lussuria got up and Ryohei revealed his trick. Maximum canon had shattered some of the bright lights that encircled the ring.

"See, now, I can open my eyes!" Ryohei exclaimed. Reborn sighed at the unintentional pun.

Reborn frowned when Lussuria copied Ryohei's trick using salt crystals to shatter the lights. However, the kid just wouldn't give up no matter how much Lussuria messed with him.

Iemitsu, Basil, Kyoko, and Hana showed up. In an ironic twist, Kyoko's discouragement of Ryohei fighting fired up the boy.

"Maximum canon!" Ryohei screamed and thrust his mangled right hand directly at Lussuria's knee cap. The metal shattered.

The Varia Sun collapsed on his side and screamed, "no! No my knee can't have been crushed!"

Lussuria stood up, panic in his eyes. "Come on, I can still beat you!"

An attack hit Lussuria in the back.

A large machine stood next to Xanxus. "When you do it, you really do it. Isn't that right, the Boss's assistant Gola Mosca?"

"They attacked their own side, how despicable," Tsuna growled.

"At this moment, Lussuria is unable to fight. Therefore Sasagawa is the winner of the battle for the Ring of the Sun," one of the two Cervello declared.

The other Cervello continued, "this is the end of tonight's match. But we will announce tomorrow night's participants."

"Hey! Allow me to go next!" Squalo yelled.

"Please allow me to continue. The next battle will be between the Thunder Guardians."

Reborn shook his head as Tsuna and Ryohei covered up what had just gone on to Kyoko. Who would believe that was a hybrid Sumo match? Yeah, Reborn was going to have to teach Tsuna how to lie better.

XXX

Lightning

The arena chosen was the school roof. Appropriately, Namimori was also having a rather dreadful storm.

"Tonight's combat area will be fitted with lightning rods for the match. The battle ground is called Elettrico Ciruito," one Cervello revealed. Lightning struck one of the spiky metal rods and raced across the floor. "The floor of Electtrico Circuito has been coated with a special conductor. The Lightning that's strikes the rods will be discharged onto the floor at several times it's normal potency."

"They knew a thunderstorm was coming and set all this up, huh," Gokudera commented.

"Lightning Gaurdian, please go into the center of the battle ground. Your opponent has been waiting for you for two hours." One referee requested.

"He showed up two hours early again? I can't believe him," Bel commented. "Well, unlike you, he sometimes gets over-zealous," Mammon pointed out.

Reborn sighed as the kids once again formed a circle and shouted, "go Lambo!"

"Lambo, if you don't want to do this, you don't have to. I don't know why Dad and Uncle's allowed you to do this. But...there's something wrong in having a toddler fight. So if you don't want to don't," Tsuna urged.

Lambo tilted his head. "Don't worry Oni-chan. I'm invincible!" The small boy ran over over to the middle of the ring. He pulled out the ten year bazooka and shot himself. His fifteen year old self appeared just as the Cervello yelled, "you may now begin!"

The teen Lambo grimaced as lightning struck and ran across his body. However, a second later he appeared as though he did been completely unharmed.

"Elettrico Cucio, good electrically conductive skin. A trait commonly found in Lightning families due to how they often get shocked as children," Reborn explained to the teens around him.

Levi-Than jumped at Lambo. Lambo sprung away with a lazy smirk.

"Hey, that's an outsider!" Squalo yelled.

"No, he's the ring holder from ten years into the future." "Therefore, we recognize him as the candidate." The two women referees declared.

"Stop standing out more then me," Levi-Than growled.

"No can do, I'm star material," Lambo snarked back. "Thunder set!" A bolt of lightning rammed into the teenager.

"I'm a bit surprised. Ignoring the rods and calling lighting to himself?" Mammon observed. Reborn smirked.

"Take this! Elettrico Cornata!" Lambo yelled and ran at his opponent.

Levi-Than yelled something, Reborn didn't care enough to pay attention. Umbrellas flew out from Levi-Than, suspended in positions around the ring by green Lightning Flames.

Reborn grimaced as Lambo yelled while being hit by the immense amount of lightning. "This isn't good, he can't take that amount off lightning."

Lambo sobbed as he stood up.

"I won't let you run away," Levi-Than growled. An umbrella with a sharp tip skewered Lambo's shoulder.

Groaning and complaining, Lambo picked up the bazooka that his child self had left behind and pulled the trigger.

"A ten year bazooka used on a ten years later Lambo?" Gokudera questioned.

"What's going to happen?" Tsuna asked.

"Ten plus ten you two," Reborn deadpanned.

Out of the large cloud, adult Lambo appeared.

"Adult Lambo seems...reliable," Tsuna observed.

"It's great to see you guys again, very nostalgic. It's enough to move me to tears, but this isn't the time to be emotional. There's a very rough person staring at me," Lambo commented. He picked up the Lightning half-ring that had fallen on the ground.

Levi-Than shouted something-Reborn wasn't paying attention-and opened up his umbrellas again.

"The umbrellas have opened, he's done for," Bel remarked.

Mammon nodded, "it's impossible to block Levi-Than's attack. The umbrellas cover every possible angle. Once a target is hit, the others discharge simultaneously. It's practically a one-hit KO attack. It was thanks to his move that Levi became a Varia Executive."

The umbrellas struck once.

"Due to his Porta ability, Levi also got the electricity of the Electtrico Circuito. In the next attack, the damage incurred will be multiplied several times," Mammon expositioned.

"Die," Levi ordered.

The electricity coated the arena in blindingly light. Levi-Than turned his back on the sight. "He will be burnt to ashes, I wish Boss could see this."

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Lambo asked. A large crackling mass of bright lightning surrounded him.

"What?" Levi-Than hissed and looked backwards over his shoulder.

"Elettrico reversal!" Lambo declared as he crouched and placed a gloved hand on the floor. The windows of the building shattered.

"He transferred that amount of electricity into the ground?" A stunned Levi-Than questioned.

"Do you get it now? I perfected the Electtrico Cuoio. Electricity is like a kitten to me," Lambo said, a smirk on his face.

"I took a gamble on him being the Lightning Guardian. But he turned out well," Iemitsu commented. Tsuna and Gokudera started at the appearance of the CEDEF leader.

"I'll kill you no matter what!" Levi-Than declared and threw a sharpened umbrella straight at Lambo's heart.

Lambo spotted something on the ground. A pair of painted soaked horns. He scooped them and used one to block Levi-Than's attack.

"Huh, I reported these missing to the police a week ago," Lambo commented as he looked at the horns.

"What?" Gokudera asked as he looked at the pair of spotless horns he had in his hands.

"The horns adult Lambo picked up were dropped by the teen Lambo. I gave them to the teen Lambo in order to allow him to summon the adult Lambo. He never figured it out. But I got what I wanted anyway, I guess," Iemitsu explained with a shrug and smile.

"Time travel is really weird," Tsuna remarked with wide eyes.

"Elettrico Cornata!" Lambo declared and ran towards Levi-Than. A surge of electricity flowed off of Lambo and struck Levi-Than.

"No! I can't lose! Impossible!"

"Back down or you will die," Lambo threatened.

At that inopportune moment, adult Lambo switched with child Lambo. The kid lay with his face on the floor, smoke coming off him.

"It seems that the five minute time limit starts from the first time he uses the bazooka," Reborn observed.

Tsuna bit his lip and was about to rush forward. But someone placed a hand on his shoulder. The boy looked up.

"Wait," Reborn ordered.

Iemitsu was suddenly at the very edge of the arena. The toe of his right shoe only an inch away from the conductive surface. "Lambo, do what I told you to," the father sternly instructed.

Levi-Than put his foot on Lambo's back. Lambo frowned at the ground but choked out the words, "I surrender."

"Very well, Lambo Sawada has surrendered. Levi-Than is the winner for the battle of of the Ring of Lightning!" A Cervello woman declared.

Levi-Than removed his foot from Lambo's back. Iemitsu stalked over and carefully picked his son up.

Reborn didn't miss Iemitsu's cold glare that was directed at Levi-Than nor the reaction of the Lightning. Levi-Than, Varia member though he was, visibly shivered and quickly walked out of the battle arena.

"The next match will be between the Storm Guardians," one of the two masked women announced.

XXX

It was early in the morning, but a meeting had been set up by Iemitsu last night in short notice. Pleasantries were exchanged and tea was sipped. However, Iemitsu quickly got done to business after a few minutes.

"I need you to pay a visit to Vongola Mansion along with the others," Iemitsu requested.

Ryuusaki Hibari frowned slightly. "What's happened?"

"Check on the Vongola Ninth. Make sure he's alright."

Hibari raised an eyebrow. "Why do you need me involved?"

"Because there's two strange things going on. The Varia in Japan and how the Ninth seems to have lost his marbles and is experiencing amnesia," Iemitsu dryly replied.

XXX

Storm

Shamal had busted through a glass window without notice. He quickly announced his intention to watch the battle and that he was on Gokudera's side.

Watching Gokudera vs Belphegor was painful for Reborn. The hitman could see what the end would be from the first ten seconds. Varia's blond bloodthirsty genius was always a step ahead and Gokudera was too frustrated to think straight.

After a few minutes of a one-sided cat and mouse game, the bombs scattered along the third floor of Namimori Middle were nearing detonation.

Tsuna balled up his fists, his knuckles turning white. "Uncle, it isn't worth him dying. This isn't worth any of them dying."

"Your job isn't to convince me. Can you convince Gokudera of that?" Reborn replied, even toned.

Tsuna frowned. "Gokudera, give up! It's not worth it!"

The time slowly ran down. Gokudera barely escaped with his life. Belphegor won the Storm Ring for the Varia.

As one, Reborn and Iemitsu grimaced. 2-1, and not in the kids's favor.

XXX

Lion: Take your flight today

1llus1on: Understood

XXX

Rain

At the start of the match, Iemitsu had clasped his hands together behind his back. Reborn noticed how the fingers trembled and tightened every time Takeshi grew close to death.

The hitman knew of the friendship Iemitsu had with Tsuyoshi Yamamoto. The skilled swordsman had been a freelance assassin for a few years. At some point, him and Iemitsu crossed paths and Tsuyoshi joined the CEDEF. After secretly getting married, Tsuyoshi had faded out of the criminal underworld by faking the death of his main alias and carefully journeying back to his homeland. He and Iemitsu reconnected in the past few years, and so on.

Iemitsu grinned when Takeshi beat Squalo. It was a noticeably large sincere grin. He cheerfully shouted that, "your Dad is going to be proud of you!"

Takeshi gave a grin and thumbs up in return before talking with his friends.

Reborn smirked at the people in the other side of the room, 2-2.

"Two to two," Iemitsu muttered, echoing Reborn's thoughts. "Who knows, they may win this yet."

XXX

Mukuro took a flight to Tokyo, took train from Tokyo, and ended up in Namimori at eleven PM. He was greeted at the door by Reborn and went upstairs to sleep.

However...he got food from the Sawada's fridge for a snack around 3 in the morning. Apparently Iemitsu and Reborn had the same idea and shared the chocolate pudding pies with him. Mukuro went to bed again, half wishing he could stay up and eavesdrop on the two men. But, with the Varia battles going in and everyone paranoid, it wasn't worth risking his life for.

Mukuro didn't miss being woken up in morning at the Sawada house. Lambo would always attempt to jump on him. However, the Lightning child only ended up dispelling a fake Mukuro and getting a smirk from the real Mukuro putting his jacket on near the bedroom door.

He had greatly missed Nana's food however. The woman created a respectable spread for a small army at every meal. Aside from the quantity of food, the quality of each dish was mouthwatering and suitable for a five star restaurant.

Yes, meal times were wonderful, as long as you could ignore Lambo and I-Pin fights and Gokudera's growls of annoyance.

XXX

Mist

The battle ground was the school gymnasium. Mukuro lazily stood on one side, the cloaked figure of Mammon at the other.

The start was called. A beam of light surged from Mammon's pet and hit Mukuro. Mammon shook her head at her opponent. The boy hadn't even dodged.

However, Mukuro appeared about ten yards away from the beam, leaning against his trident. "Really? I thought you are an Arcobaleno," he mocked.

Mammon pursed her lips in annoyance and snakes coiled around her opponent. The vines and flowers of a lotus plant erupted from the reptile pile, constricting and killing the scaly animals.

Mukuro flicked his wrist and fiery pillars burst out of the floor and soared up to the ceiling. Mammon waved a hand and the pillars froze into unmoving columns. Another wave sent shards of ice flying towards Mukuro. A quick swipe of a black trident sent the shards flying back.

"A Mist that uses physical combat in a fight? You're a disgrace," Mammon insulted with a frown.

Mukuro gave a dramatic mock bow, a teasing smirk on his face. "Why thank you," he sardonically responded.

A swath of vines curled around Mammon. A large beam of light quickly scorched an exit.

Everyone in the battle arena saw a large abyss form under Mukuro's feet. The wind sucked him in. As he fell, he batted away bats, lizards, and bugs with his trident.

Colonello, Reborn, Iemitsu, Chrome, and Xanxus were largely unaffected by the Illusions. The Varia members, being closer to abyss, had to lean back in order to not get sucked, slight frowns on their faces.

However, the kids had headaches and grimaces were stuck on their faces. Rain Flames flickered into the palm of Iemitsu's hand and flitted over to the them. Tsuna and Takeshi gave thankful smiles to the man, Gokudera just nodded, and Ryohei loudly exclaimed about how he was "feeling much more extreme!".

To combat the abyss, Mukuro grew a pair of black feathered wings and flew to the ceiling. A new wave of bats and bugs swarmed him.

Iemitsu gave a brief grimace. Reborn narrowed his eyes at the sight. "What happened?"

Iemitsu's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "Mukuro lost control and he knows it."

"And?" Reborn replied. 'What did he do that's making you so concerned?' Was the hitman's private thought. It was likely something serious. Iemitsu hadn't smiled for the past thirty seconds, possibly a world record.

"He was clutching his head. But, he's fine now," Iemitsu confidently stated with a grin. The man's eyes sharpened, "he's going to win."

Seven pillars of fire burst out from the floor. They surrounded Mammon and the flying Mukuro. With a smirk, the cloaked figure froze the pillars and Mukuro. However, another Mukuro appeared and stabbed Mammon through the back.

Immediately, another Mammon appeared, the real one, and reptiles quickly coiled around Mukuro. The trident fell to the ground with a clatter. Reborn saw Iemitsu's smirk out of the corner of his eye.

"You really tried to beat an Arcobaleno? And with the pathetic state of your Illusions? Plus, you're a disgrace, a Mist that engages in physical combat of all things," Mammon scoffed as she pulled the half-ring off her opponent's neck.

"Pride really does come before the fall,'" a voice stated with mock surprise. Mukuro stood about three yards away from Mammon, the two halves of the Mist Ring in his hand. He smirked as he put them together and slipped it on his finger.

The male Mist then disappeared and lotus vines wrapped around the annoyed Mammon.

"The winner is Mukuro Rokudo-Sawada," one of the Cervello declared.

Mammon frowned and disappeared.

Mukuro sighed as he leaned an elbow on Tsuna's shoulder. His opponent had been holding back a significant amount of strength in order to escape from the building if need be. On the other hand, that was fortunate as it undoubtedly tipped the battle in his favor.

"Oni-san, can you not put your arm on my shoulder?" Tsuna requested with a pout.

Mukuro smirked. "I would, but you're the perfect height for an armrest."

"Hey, Xanxus. When Gola Mosca loses, you had better be prepared to admit defeat and abdicate the throne," Reborn said. His gaze was steel yet his tone was drawling.

"Of course. I will honor the promise. If Mosca really loses the battle, I let you people have everything," Xanxus stated.

Reborn and Iemitsu shared a glance. Xanxus was extremely confident that Mosca would win. And that...did not forbode well.

Iemitsu pulled out his phone as they were walking out of the gymnasium. He grimaced as he saw his text messages. "I need to leave. Keep them safe, old friend."

Reborn nodded slightly. Leon opened an eye to blink lazily at Iemitsu. "Of course. Go help the team. I'll keep things under control."

XXX

LionsRawr to Herb son (Herbs17388282 )

I'm going to Italy to help. Please continue helping Tsuna. The Sky battle is coming soon. I've heard you've been doing great helping him and Reborn out. :D

I'll see you soon. Stay safe.

-I

LionsRawr to Grumpy Cloud (JapaneseDragon )

I'm enroute. ETA 12 hours. Please don't tell me you destroyed the mansion.

-I

JapaneseDragon to Goofy Sky (LionsRawr )

Is that really what you put me down as? 'Grumpy Cloud'?

LionsRawr to JapaneseDragon

'Goofy Sky'? Pot calling the kettle black much?

-I

LionsRawr to JapaneseDragon

...You didn't answer the question about the mansion. Did you do that to distract me?

-I

LionsRawr to JapaneseDragon

Ryuusaki?

-I

LionsRawr to JapaneseDragon

I swear. If you did, you're paying for it.

-I


	19. Arc 5: The Varia II

Cloud

Reborn and Tsuna had been unable to attend because hitman wanted his godson to finish the new technique tonight. Therefore, Chrome, Gokudera, Takeshi, and Ryohei showed up at the next location.

The sports field was where the next battle arena would take place. Barbed wire fence created a circle. Eight motion detecting machine guns had been placed around the it. Many sensitive mines had been buried underneath the ground.

Hibari stalked up and ducked under the barbed wire without a word.

Levi-Than attempted to taunt Tsuna's side by pointing out how Tsuna was noticeably missing. But a cold glare from the four teens shut him up.

"The battle for the Ring of Cloud, Gola Mosco versus Kyoya Hibari. Begin!"

Hibari slammed Gola Mosca down within five seconds. A arm was also disconnected from the large robot, the severed ends of electrical wires were visible and sparked. Hibari put the two half-rings together with a click. He apathetically lobbed it towards Reborn who swiped it out of the air with a smirk.

"You, over there, the one sitting there. Come down and fight me," Hibari challenged.

Xanxus smirked. He leapt over the fence. Hibari blocked Xanxus's foot with his tonfa.

"My foot slipped," Xanxus explained.

"Right," Hibari deadpanned.

"No, really. I only came down to retrieve that piece of junk. We have lost."

Hibari raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Your face tells a different story."

The damaged Gola Mosca fired bullets as Hibari swung and Xanxus dodged.

"Oh, don't worry, I won't raise an arm," Xanxus mockingly reassured.

However, that statement was quickly reversed as Xanxus was forced to block Hibari's strike with an arm.

A beam of light came from Gola Mosca and hit Hibari's leg. As the Cloud crouched and grimaced due to his wound, bombs were sent out from the robot and started raining down. The area was promptly engulfed in explosions.

"What was that? I only came to restrieve my junk. But I've been obstructed by their Cloud Guardian all this while. Now, Mosca's restraining system has been broken," Xanxus innoncetly explained.

The Gola Mosca zoomed around the arena, indiscriminately firing off bombs and beams of light. A sizeable chunk of the nearby school building was destroyed.

"Is that a compressed particle beam?" Gokudera questioned. "It's shooting all over the place!

Amid the fire, debris, and chaos, Xanxus laughed. "Bwahahaha! This is a terrible disaster!"

"That guys laughing," Takeshi pointed out with a frown.

"That crazy b*d. He didn't care about the fight from the start. He just wanted to kill everybody and make it look like an accident! That's why he kept on provoking Hibari," Gokudera realized.

Chrome ducked under the barb wire fence. She immediately dropped to the ground when Gola Mosca pointed its gun barrel towards her.

A wave of Sky Flames created a wall between Chrome and the robot.

Tsuna stood in front of Chrome, a gloved hand outstretched and Sky Flames burning brightly around him. To protect his friends, Tsuna battered the Gola Mosca. However, no one but Xanxus was expecting an old man to fall out of the destroyed robot.

"The Ninth," people on both sides whispered and exclaimed. Xanxus chuckled.

"Nono?" Tsuna asked, his brown eyes wide as dessert plates.

Reborn was by the old man's side in a flash. He started timing the Nono's pulse. "I've seen Mosca's construction only once. It looks like the 9th Boss was forced to be Gola Mosca's power source."

"It doesn't matter how or why. You've gone and killed the Ninth," Xanxus declared.

Tsuna glanced at his hands. "What? I..." He trailed off.

"This doesn't look good. It's not something I can treat with a first aid kit," Reborn commented. He was focused solely on his patient, everything else came after. Nono had a concussion, several cracked bones, and could possibly have internal bleeding.

Xanxus's smile was that do a cat who had eaten a nest of baby birds and their parents. "Who was it? Who struck the old man without mercy whatsover? Who was it who split Mosca in half with the old man inside?"

Tsuna reached past the lump in his throat and admitted, "it was me. It wasn't my intention, but I killed Nono."

"No, not you," Nono whispered. The ones at fault are not you.

"Hello young Tsunayoshi," the old man greeted, his voice hoarse and faint. "I regret many things. But I will not regret handing you the title of Decimo, if you will accept it?"

Nono coughed, blood dribbled out of his mouth.

'Okay, he does have internal bleeding', Reborn observed. 'That complicates things even more.'

"I do. I want to change things, for the better," Tsuna stated. In any other circumstances, those words would likely be loudly spoken with pride and confidence. However, the boy's voice told of neither and was almost a whisper. It was a soft fog that drifted in and small sparks that came from the clash of steel on steel.

Nono smiled. "Good." He lit the tip of his finger with Sky Dying Will Flames that trembled as if about to go out and pressed it to Tsuna's forehead. After a second, the Flames vanished. He withdrew his hand and closed his eyes.

"Nono?" Tsuna hesitantly asked, dread and denial pooling in his orange disks.

"How dare you kill Nono! The despicable way in which you struck him down is a challenge against his son, Xanxus, and the noble Vongola! No need for an investigation! The burns on Nono's chest is undeniable proof! Now that the boss has been murdered, the ring contest is meaningless. For the boss, my father, and for the future of Vongola, I will kill you as vengeance!" Xanxus declared. A smirk was on his face, more crooked than the Amazon river.

Reborn frowned. "Ahh, so this is what he was aiming for. If he only won the ring contest and became the next boss, those who knew of the Cradle affair would object to his succession and would continue to oppose him.

"But, if he trapped Tsuna into the role of villain and attacked the Nono's enemy in a battle of revenge, that's a different matter. He would gain absolute trust from a majority of the Family. And, if he could prove himself stronger then the Decimo-to-be that only cements his claim further. He could then easily eliminate all other oppostition."

"So, this was all a trap?" Basil asked. A dark frown was stuck on his face. His expression was mirrored by everyone on Tsuna's side.

"Yes, all it was a well laid out trap," Reborn confirmed.

"Please refrain from speaking such wild conjectures out loud Reborn." "We will officially record everything that is spoken." The two referees stated.

Reborn narrowed his eyes. "Do whatever you want. My patience has run out. I will honor my promise to Nono and will not interfere in Tsuna's battles."

Tsuna stood up. "Xanxus, I refuse to let you become Decimo. I will take that half-ring from you."

As both sides geared up to fight, they were interrupted. "Hold it right there. We will be in charge of the battle for Nono's revenge.

"We have an official decree from the Ninth. Any changing of hands of the rings will not be approved without our ratification. The winner of this battle will become the next Vongola Boss. So we will declare this the Sky Ring battle.

"Tomorrow night, everyone is to assemble at Namimori High."

Xanxus smirked. "Fine."

"Alright, cousin. I'll see you tomorrow night." Tsuna agreed as well. He stared at Xanxus, "although, I wonder if you can sleep after what you've done to your father?"

Xanxus's glare was the despair one felt being stuck in a cave without a flashlight, food, or water for a week. Tsuna glared back, orange fire intent on seeing justice served.

Something exploded with a large flash. And the Varia and the Cervello were gone.

Reborn clapped a hand on Tsuna's shoulder. "Calm down. Getting angry won't help you right now."

Tsuna grimaced and clenched his hands but did as told.

XXX

The Sky battle was a battle royale between sides, with a time limit enforced by poison. The rings held the cure for each respective Guardian.

Reborn watched the battle between Xanxus and Tsuna with a sense of apprehension he had never experienced before. Tsuna and Xanxus were trading blows. Tsuna the faster of the two but Xanxus was undoubtedly stronger.

The hitman frowned, he was chained by a promise and stuck in a box. He couldn't help his godson. The only thing he could do was pray and hope that his lessons had been enough for the kid to win.

XXX

Meanwhile, the rest of the guardians on both sides were fighting each other over the rings. After a minute or so, Hibari and Gokudera had cured themselves and quickly went to help the others. Bel and Hibari destroyed a hallway in their fight. However, it ended in a draw as Bel ran off to help his teammates. Hibari then had to tend to his many knife wounds or risk bleeding out. Gokudera helped teen Lambo beat Levi-Than. And the two headed off to help the others.

XXX

Tsuna came at Xanxus from the sky. Xanxus held up a disc of Wrath Flames, a destructive red cousin of Dying Will Flames. By concentrating his Sky Flames on a small point, Tsuna scored a heavy punch against Xanxus. However, Xanxus shot Tsuna in the side.

Tsuna finally pulled out Zero Point Breakthrough, a bizarre technique that could be used to absorb Flame attacks. Xanxus shot at Tsuna and knocked the teenager to the ground.

"Zero Point Breakthrough? That's a crude replicate. An insult really," Xanxus mocked.

XXX

Reborn smirked as Tsuna's got up. It seems the kid's HI had pointed something out. The form Tsuna was using was now different.

"Zero Point Breakthrough Revised," Tsuna declared.

"Are you joking? The real Zero Point Breakthrough does not have the pose," Xanxus pointed out with annoyance.

"I'm just making my own," Tsuna said with a shrug.

"Pretentious scumbag. I'm going to kill you so you can never make a mockery of that technique again."

Tsuna was beaten into the ground by Xanxus's Flame bullets. He shakily stood up, a small smile still on his face. A furious Xanxus unleashed another volley.

'Come on Tsuna,' Reborn thought. 'Come on.'

"My turn," Tsuna stated. He propelled himself up to Xanxus and swiftly executed a bicycle kick to his opponent's jaw.

Reborn smirked. "And...he's passed Xanxus's Speed."

A wave of Sky Flames blinded Xanxus. Above him, Tsuna twisted over the the fire and slammed a fist into Xanxus's face. The man crashed into the ground.

Xanxus quickly stumbled upright and took out both of his pistols. He sent a barrage of Flame bullets towards Tsuna. However, the Flames seemed to make no difference to Tsuna's physical state.

"Ah, I see. That's what he did to revise it. Tsuna's not just absorbing Xanxus's Flames, but turning them into his own," Reborn explained to Colonello.

Xanxus yelled as he grappled with Tsuna once again. Tsuna performed an uppercut.

XXX

Nearby, Hibari had found Takeshi and Gokudera had found Ryohei.

"Thanks," Takeshi chirped as Hibari put the Rain Ring into his bracelet.

Hibari grunted in acknowledgement and turned to leave. However, he stumbled as he walked towards the door.

"Hmm, Hibari you don't look good. Player sub!" Takeshi cheerfully declared.

"Thanks, Octopus Head," Ryohei said.

"We're going to go find the others," teen Lambo cheerfully stated. A puff of smoke quickly dissuade the notion as his child-self returned.

"Okay, Ryohei, take care of Lambo," Gokudera ordered and carefully handed over the toddler.

"Here's our rings. Go find Sawada. I know you can do it," Ryohei encouraged.

"Got it."

XXX

In their rematch, Mukuro and Mammon were engaged in a suspenseful game of trickery. They kept interrupting each other before the ring was inserted for the antidote. To get around the problem, Mukuro successfully knocked Mammon out. He considered leaving the other Mist to die, but frowned and inserted the Mist Ring into her bracelet.

XXX

Xanxus laughed. "How could I lose to your fake Zero Point Breakthrough? F*k, f*k, f*k. You f*g b*d!"

XXX

Yamamato crept around the edge of the school building. He heard footsteps.

"Who's there?" Yamamato asked. "Oh, he, Gokudera, you're alive!"

Gokudera waved a hand lazily in greeting, "Yeah, yeah, you're alive too. Anyways, I got mine, Lambo'sm and Ryohei's."

"I got mine and Hibari's. He helped me because he said he didn't want people to die on the school grounds." Takeshi shrugged

"So..that leaves the Mist Ring," Gokudera concluded.

The two rushed off towards the gynasium.

XXX

"How dare you low life scum...Unforgivable!" Xanxus raged. Red Wrath Flames surrounded him. His face was covered in bright red scars.

XXX

Suddenly, a light weight was on Gokudera's and Takeshi's shoulders. They tensed and then relaxed as someone spoke.

"Looking for me?" A familar voice questioned.

Takeshi smiled, "yup!"

Gokudera growled, "we're in the middle of a battle, we could have killed you."

Mukuro clicked his tongue dismissively. "Oh really?"

Gokudera scowled. "You-"

"Anyways, I have my ring. Do you have all the others?" Mukuro interrupted.

"Yeah, we do. Now, there's just the Sky Ring left," Takeshi affirmed.

XXX

"Hello," Bel greeted. Beside him stood the cloaked figure of Mammon.

"Well then, three vs two. Not exactly in your favor is it?" Gokudera pointed out as he lit another cigarette.

"I wouldn't say that," Bel countered.

XXX

Dino, Shamal, Reborn, Chrome, were in the observation box.

"So, ready to talk, Squalo?" Dino asked.

The bandaged Rain sat in front of the Dino, in a wheelchairs. His eyes were glued to Xanxus. "That fury is the strength that'll turn your ambition into reality. That fury is what inspired me to follow you," he muttered.

XXX

Tsuna slammed his fist into Xanxus's face. Blindsided once again, Xanxus stumbled back.

"Ngh! What are..you going to do with that!" Xanxus shouted. Rivulets of blood crept through his teeth and spilled over his chin. Tsuna backed up.

Xanxus aimed his pistols towards Tsuna, pouring his Flames into two bullets. "Die!"

Tsuna quickly formed the hand position for Zero Point Breakthrough Revised as the Arath Flames sped towards him. At the last second he kept to the side.

"Hah, he dodged?" Colonello questioned.

Reborn crossed his arms. "With that amount of Flames, if he failed to absorb it, he'd die."

"Just f*g die!" Xanxus cursed. The two opponents grappled with each other. Tsuna's gloves were slick with sweat.

Their Flames hit against each other and exploded.

Reborn grimaced as the fog dissipated and he saw Xanxus was still upright. But he quickly gave a small smirk as he saw Xanxus's hands were covered in large spikes of ice. "I see...that's probably the Zero Point Breakthrough that Primo came up with."

Everyone around the hitman stared at him in shock. "Eh?" "What?"

"Since Zero Point Breakthrough is the reverse of Dying Will Flames," Reborn prompted and raised an eyebrow. 'Well, class?'

"I see! The opposite of fire is ice!" Shamal realized.

"But that's not just regular ice," Dino added.

"Yeah, it's froze Xanxus's Flames. As if the purpose of the technique was really for..." Shamal trailed off. The doctor's eyes widened.

"That's right. It's a technique that was created to seal off Dying Will Flames," Reborn confirmed.

"This is impossible," Xanxus whispered as he stared at his hand that was covered in ice. "How dare you! How could a scumbag like you master the Primo's ultimate technique?"

"Those scars...they're proof you were consumed by Zero Point Breakthrough once," Tsuna observed. "Well...you can't ignite Flames on your hands. So, you going to give up now or?"

"Are you f*g kidding me?" Xanxus snarled. "All this garbage!"

Tsuna frowned. "Give up. Or I'm going to give you worse scars then Nono did."

"Xanxus was struck by Ninth's Zero Point Breakthrough?" Colonello questioned.

"Shut the f*k up! You think I'd submit to you? You're a fake! I'm going to win!" Xanxus bellowed. Xanxus charged at Tsuna. The charge was frantic and left the man open for Tsuna's quick punch to the stomach.

Xanxus clutched his stomach. In front of him, Tsuna held his hands a foot from Xanxus's Head.

"Zero Point Breakthrough, First Edition," Tsuna declared. Xanxus gaped in shock.

Ice slowly crept up Xanxus's shoulders. His torso was totally encased in ice.

"Well, Xanxus, it was n-ice," Tsuna punned. Xanxus's glare was cut off by the large block of ice he was suddenly incased in.

"Well, Tsuna's won and Xanxus is back in stasis," Reborn stated.

"Back in stasis?" Shamal asked.

"Yes, he's been put to sleep like, like he was for years after the Cradle affair," Reborn confirmed. On top of the hitman's fedora, Leon flicked his tongue out.

"Go on, Squalo, talk. What happened after the cradle affair?" Dino pushed.

Squalo had a sour expression on his face. "Like you all know, Xanxus was frozen by the Ninth. As for the rest, I'm taking that to my grave. Oi! Let me out of this box!"

"We can not allow that, the condition for the win have not been met yet," one of the Cervello declared.

Tsuna crouched. He was exhausted.

"Hello, you don't even have the energy to crawl," Mammon drawled. In her hands, were the six Guardian Rings. "The Vongola Rings truly are special."

The rings lit up with their respective Flames. "As I thought." She pressed the rings against the ice and it melted away as if the block was in the middle of a dessert at noon. "When the rings are passed down, they are said to grant a new power to Vongola."

A knife flashed past Tsuna's neck, snagging the half-ring. "It's about time you returned it. This ring belongs to the true successor," Bel stated.

Xanxus woke up. "Give me the rings," he demanded.

"Of course. That second-rate imposter doesn't deserve this," Bel agreed.

"It was meant to be," Mammon added.

From around a corner of the school, Tsuna's Guardians rushed towards the scene. "Oi!" "Oni-chan!" "Otouto!" "Tsuna!"

"Looks like everyone and their dog is here to witness the beginning of the new birth," Bel joked as he held the Sky Ring about five inches from Xanxus's finger.

"O, pride of the Vongola, grant your sucessor. Grant the young blood of Vongola with great power," Mammon chanted.

The Sky Ring lit up as it settled on Xanxus's finger. "This is it," Xanxus breathlessly declared. "This is the power!" Sky Flames streaked out from him in a brilliant display.

"This is the proof of sucessor to Vongola!" Xanxus exclaimed. He choked and suddenly spewed blood with a scream. He collapsed on the ground.

"The ring, has rejected Xanxus's blood," Tsuna observed with shock.

To the shock of all there, the bloody Xanxus then revealed that he wasn't actually related to the Ninth but was adopted.

"Xanxus," Tsuna began.

"Don't you f*g pity me!" Xanxus roared.

Tsuna stood up and stalked over to the man, fatigue forgotten. "Pity you? The f*k you mean pity you? So what, you were adopted and didn't find out about it til later? Is that what all of this is about? You're pathetic! The Ninth loved you! He didn't kill you even when you tried to kill him! Even till the end, he loved you and accepted you! He didn't care about bloodlines or any of that! You were his son, even if he wasn't your biological father!"

"Don't make me sick with all of that unconditional love c*p! What use is it? The only thing I wanted was the throne! I only wanted them to praise me!" Xanxus screamed back.

Tsuna drove his fist into Xanxus's stomach and then stepped back. "What use is it? What use is a family? What use is love? Your priorities are s*d up! You don't see it! You're probably so blind you don't even realize there's such a thing as seeing it! You just think that everyone is bsing you when they talk about it!"

"Master Xanxus, we will need to deliberate further on whether you are suitable for the rings," a referee informed.

"Just kill them! If I can't have them, no one can!" Xanxus ordered.

"I approve! Way to to go Boss!" "Looks like we're back to the original plan!" Bel and Mammon shouted.

"Like h*l we're just going to let you kill any of us," Gokudera confidently snarked. Around him stood the rest of Tsuna's Guardians, with the exception of Hibari.

"Oh, that ones still alive too," Bel pointed out.

Hibari walked towards the Varia duo, battered but still alive able to fight.

"Well, it looks like it's now 6 vs 2," Gokudera pointed out.

"Nope, soon it's going to be 7 vs 53. Shi shi shi. All fifty members of the inborn Varia squad will be here soon," Bel replied.

"We can't allow any outsiders-" the Cervello woman was cut off, both literally and metaphorically. Bel's blade tore two long wounds in her.

"Finally, they show their hand," Shamal commented.

"Hey! They've shown their true colors! We will join the battle on Tsuna's side!" Colonello shouted.

"You shouldn't have any objections now," Dino tacked on.

"Understood. The Varia have been disqualified. The infa-red boundary ont he box is disabled," the remaining Cervello agreed and tapped her phone.

Leon turned into a pair of lime green goggles for Reborn. "Hold on, it hasn't been deactivated."

"How naive, we sabotaged it before," Mammon informed.

"Hold on, I'll blast us out of here," Colonello said as he put a magazine in his gun.

"Don't! It's constructed to explode internally if you fire from inside!" The Cervello warned.

"Looks like we're on our own," Gokudera pointed out with a frown.

Three strangely dressed men and woman showed up.

"Nice timing, we've been waiting for you guys," Bell greeted.

"Reporting sir, we're the only ones left! The Varia squad has been wiped out!" One of the men said. "That guy is way too strong! He's like a demon! He'll be here soon!"

"Hello," a crisp voice greeted. Upon hearing the voice, Kyoya Hibari straightened up.

Mammon narrowed her eyes. "Ryuusaki Hibari, Iemitsu's Cloud."

He was a man with black hair and black eyes, and was wearing a black suit. A small scar trailed over his left ear. In his hands was a silver SW 460 which he was reloading as he calmly replied, "Mammon." With a click, Mr. Hibari rolled the barrel back into place.

"Well, let's get it over with," Bel chirped and swiped at Tsuna. Takeshi blocked the strike with his sword.

"Well, it's come to this," Mammon said with a sigh. She was about to flee when a pillar of fire hit her. Mukuro smirked.

"Hey, blonde, we have unfinished business," Hibari called out. Bel winced.

"Hey Tsuna, you okay?" Gokudera asked.

"Yeah, just really tired," Tsuna assured.

Xanxus, Bel, and Mammon were quickly surrounded. "Well, that's it for me," Bel said as he dropped his knives and held his palms up.

"You're all useless scumbags," Xanxus insulted.

"Xanxus, since you have been disqualified, you must forfeit the Vongola rings," one of the Cervello said. Around her, three new Cervello women surrounded Xanxus in a circle.

"It's all gone...according to your...wishes. You were right...are you happy now?" Xanxus whispered.

"You say words like that, but, we do not wish for anything nor do we predict anything," a referee replied.

Xanxus weakly laughed.

"Everything was already decided. Your role in this is over."

"You...cunning...fox."

The Cervello woman smiled. "Thank you for doing your part."

Another Cervello woman stood in front of the winner. "With this, the ring battle contest is over. Since Xanxus has been disqualified, the winner of the Sky Battle is Tsunayoshi Sawada. Therefore the next successor is Tsunayoshi and his Guardians."

Reborn pulled Tsuna to his feet. "Well done kid, now we can go home."

Tsuna smiled and then felt asleep. With a sigh, Reborn crouched down and hauled his godson onto his back.

"Kyoya, we're going home," Mr. Hibari calmly said and walked away. His son dutifully followed. By the time they reached the end of the street, they were two dark shadows.

The rest of the group walked together to the Sawada's house. Reborn offered to patch the worst of the injuries up. It wouldn't do to have someone bleed out or die of infection.

Nana shook her head at the dirty and bloody crew. "There's some deserts and hot chocolate in the kitchen. But please wash your hands before eating. and for everyone who lives under this roof, you are going to take a shower and change your clothes before crawling into bed. Also, Reborn, direct those who have scratches to me."

XXX

It was a few days after the Sky Battle.

"Couldn't sleep?" Reborn guessed, eyes still glued to a copy of Sun Tzu's Art of War. Leon sat on his hat with his tail curled around the edge, an unmoving sentinel on the lookout for danger.

At the entrance to the kitchen, Tsuna froze and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah."

"Hot chocolate?" The hitman asked as he turned a page.

"Okay," Tsuna timidly agreed.

Reborn set his book on table, a book marker already slipped inside to keep his place. "If we're doing this, we're doing it right. Get the Cocoa powder, ground cinnamon, whipcream, and sugar."

About thirty seconds later, Tsuna gaped as Reborn used a Leon blowtorch to heat up the two cups of milk. The man had somehow found a metal visor, lightly scorched apron, and two very heat resistant gloves. Whether his uncle looked more like a hardcore welder or mad scientist Tsuna couldn't tell for sure. But he'd vouch for the latter.

"Put in two tablespoons of sugar and one teaspoon of Cocoa," Reborn ordered as he carefully placed the cups on a tray. His impromptu cooking outfit was taken off and Leon turned back into a chameleon.

'Only in my family, blowtorches are part of making hot chocolate and shapeshifting animals are normal,' Tsuna thought with a sweatdrop as he measured out the correct amount and stirred it in.

Reborn sprinkled cinnamon and swirled whip cream peaks on top. "Feeling better?" He asked.

"A bit. Having something to do helps," Tsuna responded.

Reborn nodded. "I think it's cooled down enough." He plucked their cups off the tray and handed Tsuna his.

Tsuna wrapped his fingers around his it The heat coming off was only slightly below what was needed to burn his fingers. He took a cautious sip, it was warm and delicious.

Reborn picked up his book again but didn't open it. "Well, you've gotten a bit of the taste of how the mafia works. What do you think?"

"I hate it," Tsuna replied, bitterly. "All of...that...all it's done is make me more determined. I can't fail. I can't...I can't let Vongola keep being horrible when it could do so much good. I can't let people like Xanxus rise to power."

Reborn smirked. "Well then, it seems you've set your goal and won't run. I sincerely hope you keep to it...the underworld needs a good cleaning."

Tsuna smiled back. "I won't. Oh, and you were right. This tastes a lot better than the instant stuff."

A/N

There is one more chapter and then this story is over. Geez, it's weird to think of that.

-Silver


	20. Epilogue: Godson

Japan

A new weapon had been made: Flame animals. Iemitsu had sent some to Tsuna and his Guardians as a sort of practical Christmas gift.

Tsuna was caught between screaming or awwing over the fact that his was a baby lion...on fire. Yeah, the last part was a bit weird.

XXX

It was Tsuna's first day of his third and last year of high school. *

The day started fine. Tsuna met up with his friends and walked to school. Along the way, Takeshi had made a comment and Gokudera had started quietly ranting about 'the annoying baseball idiot'. Takeshi joined in with the infuriated Gokudera's monologue for several seconds, nodding along and adding comments about his flaws. Their friends started laughing and Gokudera yelled at Takeshi.

Then, Tsuna had gone and messed the day up. His HI led him to notice the person watching him, and spooked the assassin. He then had to dodge bullets on the school rooftop. Takeshi and Gokudera showed up, and the three friends knocked the assassin out cold.

XXX

Tsuna woke up and pulled out his steel chain from under his shirt. The Sky Ring was warm.

He could still hear the accented voice, "To perish or to prosper Tsuna." The words ran around in his head, stern and unyielding.

"I understand, I understand," Tsuna muttered. "All or nothing...hope I don't fail," he joked without a trace of real humor.

XXX

Tsuna looked up from his textbook as the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!"

"Hello," a woman greeted. She had long bright pink hair. "I'm Bianchi, Hayato's older sister."

"Okay. And?" Tsuna questioned. He smiled, a fake smile. She wasn't lying, but something was off.

"Where's Hayato?" Bianchi replied. She twirled around a strand of her hair with a finger.

"Hayato is around but he's not here. I can take a message if you want." Tsuna narrowed his eyes.

"Okay. Tell him I said 'hi', will you? Oh, and here's a cake I made. Thanks for helping my brother." Bianchi smiled as she handed Tsuna a white cardboard box. It was the type of nice looking box stores would use for their baked goods.

Tsuna smiled back. "Of course. Have a great day." He dropped the smile after the door closed and immediately headed for the back yard.

There was something wrong with the cake Bianchi gave him. His Hyper Intuition led him to a shovel in the shed. Tsuna dug a hole and dropped the box in it.

He carefully lifted the box lid to peek inside. It looked like an ordinary cake...but it definitely wasn't. Tsuna's HI had spiked when he opened the lid. With a frown, he closed the lid and covered the box with dirt.

XXX

Tsuna: Your sister Bianchi stopped by

Tsuna: She was looking for you

Tsuna: She gave me a cake.

Gokudera: DON'T EAT IT.

Gokudera: All the food she makes is poisonous.

Tsuna: Figured something weird with it.

Tsuna: I put it in a hole in my backyard.

Gokudera: Oh thank God.

Tsuna: Do you know why she's here?

Gokudera: I have no idea what she's doing in Japan

Gokudera: We don't really talk

XXX

Tsuna: Hey Uncle Reborn

Tsuna: Do you have any idea why Gokudera's sister would be here?

Uncle Reborn: Probably, Bianchi heard that Gokudera is your Storm Guardian

XXX

"Hi," a woman said to Gokudera. She wore goggles over her face and had long pink hair.

Gokudera's eyes grew wide as dinner plates. "Aniki?"

"Yup. I wanted it see how you were doing, brat. I haven't seen you in years. So when I heard you were in Japan, I just had to come." Bianchi grinned. She squeezed Gokudera in a hug.

Gokudera grumbled but returned the hug. 'It's good to see you too, Aniki.'

XXX

Italy

Nono wrapped his fingers around the top of his cane. His hand had grown gnarled from age, but the wood was as polished as ever. "The Inheritance Ceremony will need to happen soon. Some of the upper echelon are getting nervous over the lack of information they have about the next generation."

Iemitsu smiled broadly at the last sentence. "I'm glad my efforts were successful."

"In doing what? Creating an information dark spot or unnerving the elites?" Nono teased, a dry smile of his own under his mustache.

Iemitsu snorted. "Both. Anyways, shall we discuss the details of the ceremony?"

"Of course."

After the logistics were decided on, Iemitsu took another sip of his tea and put his leg over his knee. "Do you have something else to discuss?" He asked

"No. Nothing else, but take this." Nono put the Sin on the table between himself and Iemitsu.

"The Sin? This is breaking tradition," Iemitsu observed calmly. Inside of his mind he was rapidly going through possibilities as to why Nono would do this.

"Sometimes traditions change," Nono nonchalantly replied. He pushed the vial towards Iemitsu.

Iemitsu dropped his gaze to the Sin. It sat inconspicuously on the table, full of a red liquid. "Something is going to happen, isn't it?"

"Most likely," Nono agreed.

"And you won't tell me what it is?"

"Just...spend time with your family and prepare if there is something. Hopefully its nothing," Nono carefully said.

"Thank you for the warning," Iemitsu curtly replied. He picked up the vial and slid it in his coat pocket. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye," Nono said. His tone held a trace of sadness and steely determination. Iemitsu looked at Nono's eyes and clearly saw the message in them: Good luck.

Iemitsu walked out of the room and frowned. 'Well Nono...Thanks for painting the target on my back. But at least you warned me about the danger this time.'

XXX

CEDEF HQ

Mukuro was pretty bored. He pushed his spoon into the mashed potato wall on his plate. The gravy spilled out and pooled around his steamed broccoli.

To his left, Lambo and I-Pin were arguing and insulting each other. They tried to whisper, but weren't very quiet, everyone could hear them. Their food on their plates mostly uneaten, growing cold. Nana gave them a stern glance and the two stopped insulting each other and got started on eating their food. Satisfied, Nana turned back to her discussion with Iemitsu and Reborn.

To Mukuro's right, Ken and Chikusa were talking in low voices. Snatches of the conversation caught Mukuro's attention and he occasionally joined in.

Fuuta was about to just take a large bite of his steak. Basil gently elbowed Fuuta, gave him a look, and and passed him his knife. Fuuta flushed slightly and took the knife with an embarrassed, "Thanks."

Tsuna and Chrome quietly ate their food. An occasional thought or comment passed between them.

Gokudera angrily scowled at the oblivious Takeshi, still annoyed about something from this morning.

'Thankfully, Hibari is nowhere to be seen. Although, he would have been fun to mess with.' Mukuro shook his head slightly. 'Nevermind, Iemitsu would give me paperwork to do for several days if I did that during dinner. It's not worth it.'

"So, what's for dessert?" Mukuro asked.

Iemitsu looked over at Mukuro. "Chocolate sundaes," he replied.

Several of the children let out excited shouts of 'yes!". Nana and Iemitsu grinned, and Reborn snorted.

XXX

The control room had been unofficially declared the hangout room. Nana had taken I-Pin and Lambo on a shopping trip. Lal Mirch, Turmeric, and Oregano were all out on missions. Aside for, them, everyone was hanging out.

Chrome, Tsuna, Takeshi, and Gokudera were all squished together on a couch in the back. Ken, Chikusa, Basil, and Mukuro were playing poker. Iemitsu was keeping an eye on the security cameras.

Then...three things happened. Everyone felt it. The sudden lurch of the ground beneath their feet. Everyone heard it. The blare of the alarm in their eyes. Everyone saw it. The bright red of an alert on one of the large computer screens.

"There's been several breaches in the mansion," Iemitsu announced. "Everyone split up and head out. Keep your comms on and tell us when you spot someone. Chrome, stay here. I need you to cast an Illusion over this room."

XXX

Tsuna was walking through the West Wing ballroom when the door on the other end opened. He had turned the room's lights on, as getting ambushed in the dark wouldn't be fun.

"I see someone," Tsuna reported as he slid into a fighting stance.

A familiar figure had entered the room. Bright red hair clearly visible.

Tsuna's eyes widened. "Enma! What are you doing here?"

"Hello Tsuna," Enma coldly greeted. "Shimon Primo was betrayed by Vongola Primo, and was left to die. I Enma Cozato, the Tenth Boss of the Shimon Family, will get my revenge."

XXX

Hibari scowled at the metal fan that blocked his tonfa. "You're intruding, I'll bite you to death."

Adelheid smirked.

XXX

In a long hallway, six people met. Chikusa, Ken, Takeshi stared at Julie, Mizuno, and Ooyama.

"Oh dear," Julie commented. "It seems we have to face each other." He viciously grinned. "Oh well."

Takeshi smiled and pulled out his baseball ball. A quick swipe and his bat turned into a katana. "This game is going to be fun!"

XXX

In the control room, Iemitsu sighed. "Well, it seems like everything has broken down into chaos already."

XXX

Tsuna and Enma hurtled towards each other. Dying Will Flames were lit on both of their heads and fists. In the middle of these two unstoppable teenage forces, an unmoveable terrifying object showed up.

A black portal opened and three men completely covered in bandages stepped out. Chains snaked around them. "Stop!" One commanded.

Enma and Tsuna froze immediately. "Vendice," they both said in unison.

Vendice, the feared law keepers of the Mafia world. Three of their number stood there. The leader spoke up once again. "Giotto and Cozarto were bound by unfettered friendship. For that reason, Vongola and Shimon must never cross swords with each other. And thus, should the situation arise, we have a law that the losing side shall be erased from existence forever. The losing participants will be locked in a prison for all eternity."

"What?" Tsuna hissed. "Why?"

"Eternity...I like that. That should be a lovely time for you Tsuna," Enma commented.

"A decision has been reached," the Vendice noted. "Descendants of Giotto and Cozarto, go forth and fight!"

Enma and Tsuna kept a careful eye in each other. They warily moved in a circle, whilst also keeping an eye on the Vendice.

The Vendice had not dissappeared. They seemed to be waiting for something. The leader then nodded. "Hibari has beaten Adelheid. This is the first key," he announced.

A flashback suddenly hit the Shimon and Vongola Guardians. That of Giotto and Cozarto, the first time the two met.

Back in Japan, Ryohei had fallen asleep in class. He jerked awake after the flashback ended. "What was that?"

XXX

Mukuro grimaced. That was weird...a flash back of the two Primos? Maybe it was something he ate?

He cast a suspicious look at the hallway he was in. He could have sworn the hallway was brighter when he entered it.

Basil turned a corner and came running down it. "Mukuro! He yelled.

Mukuro frowned. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"One of them after after me! He'll be here any second!"

True to Basil's word, Julie ran around the corner. Mukuro narrowed his eyes. Something didn't make sense.

Suddenly, Basil tried to stab Mukuro. Thanks to his reflexes, Mukuro only got a deep cut on his thigh.

"Who are you?" Mukuro asked. He needed time to devise a scheme. The only chance he had was to stall.

Julie disappeared. Basil faded away, leaving a smaller person behind.

Mukuro scowled. "Why?"

XXX

There was a teenager wearing two large floating tubes, like the ones used for the pool. This, was P. Shitt, or Shittopi-chan. She had run outside and Gokudera followed. He was now somewhat regretting the decision.

The land beneath Gokudera's feet kept turning into swamp. Every time he started sinking, he jumped out of it. He threw waves of bombs everytime he jumped to a new place. Gokudera had just jumped when the first flashback hit.

P. Shitt. was unable to dodge Gokudera's dynamite and fell unconscious.

The Vendice appeared. Gokudera scowled as P. Shitt. was dragged away.

XXX

While the Guardians were distracted with another flashback, a shower of needles flew past Takeshi.

"Huh, the start of Vongola," Takeshi commented with a grin. "Oh! Good job Chikusa!"

A majority of Chikusa's needles had embedded themselves in Julie. The needle tips had been dipped in a sleeping agent and Julie quickly fell unconcious.

XXX

Mukuro scowled. "Why?"

Fran glared. "What do you mean, 'why'?" He hissed. "You killed my family."

Mukuro flinched. He sighed. "Ah, so you finally found out."

Fran yelled, "Don't act so nonchalant, you a*e!"

Vines quickly coiled around Mukuro. He broke out with a burst of fire.

"You're a murderer! Iemitsu covered for you and you got away scot-free! The Vendice should have locked you up!" Fran yelled.

"Scot-free?" Mukuro calmly questioned. "I've been paying for it ever since."

"Oh, really? How?" Fran sneered. More vines lunged towards Mukuro.

As Mukuro spoke, he slashed vines with his trident. "Nightmares...flashbacks...you see, I used to have severe PTSD, it's more mild after some therapy. And...I currently train an orphan of the Family I destroyed, even though he often pisses me off." He smirked.

Fran snorted. "Like you're even sorry."

Mukuro frowned, his eyes dark. "I am." In Fran's moment of shock, Mukuro quickly knocked his apprentice out.

XXX

"So, I've played along until now. Now that the kids are out of the room.. how about we let the cat out of the bag too?" Iemitsu cheerfully suggested. His chin lowered and he smirked. "I didn't expect a ghost to possess one of my team and then disguise himself as one of my son's Guardians."

Daemon Spade, the First and Second generation Mist, smirked back. As it was useless, he dispelled the Illusion of Chrome. To any normal person, it would look as if Oregano now stood there. But, Iemitsu could see the over lapping transparent features, primarily that of spiky blue pineapple shaped hair.

"You're a very interesting person, Mr. Sawada. Few people have ever been able see through Illusions." Daemon glanced at the large screens, live camera footage showed the battles taking place. "Ah, I wonder how Fran is doing. He should run into Mukuro soon," he mused.

"Fran?" Iemitsu happily questioned. His eyes were sharp and his right hand was clenched in a fist.

"Yes, he really is determined to make Mukuro and you pay. Since Mukuro killed his parents in that bloodbath a few years ago after all." Daemon dimissively waved his hand. "But, I'm digressing. The main question here is, where is the Sin?"

"The only sin here is that you were born," Iemitsu snarked.

Daemon's smile was sharp. If it was a knife, it could easily cut a through stone without dulling. "Tell me where the Sin is, or I'll start hurting my vessel."

Iemitsu slowly blinked. "No. I'm a rules utilitarian. Oregano knew the risks and would rather die then give a manic like you more power."

Daemon glared at Iemitsu. "Well then, let's see how your resolve holds up." He moved Oregano's knife to the tip of her throat.

"Or, beat me in a fight," Iemitsu nonchalantly proposed. He spread his hands wide with a shrug.

Daemon raised an eyebrow. "Terms?"

"Everything is allowed, aside from hurting our own body...that we are currently inhabiting. If you win, you can take the Sin." Iemitsu pulled the vial out from his jacket pocket and gently shook it.

"Nufufufuha...Deal," Daemon agreed.

XXX

The fight in the hallway had turned desperate for the Shimon side, as it was now 3-2.

Ken activated his cheetah channel and slammed into Ooyama. Takeshi frowned in sadness but slashed at Mizuno. Chikusa provided support to his two friends. Handful of needles peppered Ooyama's and Mizuno's clothes.

Chikusa frowned. 'I'm not hitting enough for a normal sized person. Then add on the fact that both are humongous, and I'm definitely not doing much.' He took out one of his yo-yos-this one had been a special birthday present from Iemitsu and Basil-and yelled, "Ken, duck!"

Ken, using the speed from his Cheetah channel, dodged out of the way of the shower of needles. If the needles had been raindrops, one would call this immense amount a downpour.

Ooyama toppled over.

XXX

"I will get my revenge for my parents!" Enma yelled.

"Over my dead body!" Tsuna replied.

"Then so be it!"

Their fists hit, Sky and Earth Flames collided in a brilliant spectacle of light.

"I will kill Iemitsu!" Enma raged. He pushed and Tsuna had to take to step back.

"Why do you want to kill my Dad! What he done to you?" Tsuna questioned. He clenched his jaw and braced himself against his enemy's Flames.

"He killed my parents!" Enma screeched.

Tsuna flinched and was pushed back three steps. "What?" He asked, in disbelief.

Flashbacks 3 and 4 rammed their way through Tsuna's and Emma's heads in quick succession. A bare split second in between. They both tripped and landed face first on the floor.

XXX

At this point, most of the control room was covered in a sheet of ice.

Iemitsu scowled as he tore apart several of Daemon's ice copies. Daemon saw an opening and punched Iemitsu in the face.

Iemitsu stumbled back, clutching his jaw. "Ugh. Oregano isn't the strongest but she can still hit pretty well." He barely managed to punch a Daemon icy copy in the chest.

Daemon smirked. Something stabbed him through the back. It was a black trident. Daemon grunted in pain.

"Good timing, Mukuro," Iemitsu complimented. "How's Fran?"

"Unconscious, but fine." Mukuro appeared beside Iemitsu and slashed the head off a Daemon ice copy.

"Well, it looks like both of my prizes are in the room now." Daemon nonchalantly brushed away the blood on his lips with the back of his hand. "The Sin and Rokudo Mukuro."

"Well, you're getting neither of them," Iemitsu wryly replied.

XXX

Takeshi and Mizuno were tired. The bruises on Takeshi's face were already turning black. Mizuno's cuts lazily dripped blood.

Ken used Lion channel and swiped at Mizuno. Chikusa moved to the side of the hallway and threw his yo-yo out.

The spikes hit the distracted Mizuno's neck. He fell.

The Vendice appeared, and coiled chains around the three Shimon members. "These three have lost. We'll be taking them."

"What?" Takeshi questioned.

"That is the law," the Vendice leader sternly stated.

XXX

Basil frowned. Aoba was best in an outside environment. The large garden provided the perfect setting for Basil's enemy.

He punched Aoba's face and knocked the enemy boxer's glasses off. Basil quickly backed off, feeling like he had made a mistake. He had caught a glance of the lenses. Aoba's glasses weren't normal, they showed pitch black darkness when looking through them.

"I can see your killer spots. You're done for," Aoba declared. He rapidly swung at Basil.

Basil dodged with the speed he had been trained to have. He tapped his knuckles against Aoba's right hand, his fist of Rain Flames.

Aoba frowned and sprung away. Basil followed, he swiped at Aoba and then kneed his opponent in the diaphragm. Aoba dropped to the ground, wheezing.

After a generous dash of Rain Flames, Aoba passed out.

"You can see, but I can see too. Plus, I'm faster." Basil shrugged.

Basil stared as the Vendice appeared.

"We will be taking him," one of the Vendice declared. Chains snaked out and dragged Aoba to him.

"Well, who am I to argue with the Vendice, I guess?" Basil muttered, eyes half bitter half curious.

XXX

Tsuna grimaced as Flashback 5 and 6 quickly happened. Enma shared the same expression for a brief moment. They stumbled slightly and then straightened back up.

"Enma! We both saw it! It was a trap! But it's wasn't of Primo's doing! And his Guardians saw through and save Cozarto! And Coazarto chose to disappear! I'm sure there's more behind what happened to your family too! So please, let's find it together!" Tsuna pleaded.

Enma faltered. "Why do you want to help me?"

"Because we're friends!" Tsuna yelled, furious. "You're my best friend! I don't want to fight you!"

"I...I, fine. You win, Tsuna. We'll find out, together." Enma gave a bitter smile. "Or well, you will."

"The Shimon lose," the Vendice announced.

"Bermuda von Vichistein," Tsuna muttered in thought. The man gave off the same vibe as the one in the flashback. Tsuna scowled. "You can't take him!"

"Why?"

Tsuna racked his brains for a passable answer. "I...um. I, Tsunyoshi Sawada, Vongola Decimo to be, say the battle between Shimon and Vongola null and void! It is over and done with. Negotiations were successful. There's is no need to keep any of either side in Vendicare. So, please release our members," Tsuna declared.

"And you, Enma Kozato?" The Vendice asked.

Enma and Tsuna exchanged a quick glance. "I agree with everything Tsuna has said. I declare it null and void as well," Enma replied.

"Very well, we will release the Shimon Guardians," the Vendice agreed. "But you two must defeat Daemon first."

"What? What do you mean defeat Daemon? Isn't he dead?" Enma and Tsuna asked in unison.

"No," the Vendice curtly answered.

The Shimon Earth Ring flew to the Vongola Sky Ring and combined.

-Flashback 7-

"That's fine by me. But with one condition, after each battles occurs, I want the Shimon and Vongola descendants to learn of our true history," Giotto stated.

Cozarto nodded. "After all the history has been told, if both families's hatred has still not dissolved...Then, Vendice, you're free to burn them, roast them, or do whatever it I say you plan on doing. However, if they return to their true friendship, if they prove that they honor this Oath, their will will become one, and our Flames will burn!"

XXX

"Let's get serious shall we?" Daemon proposed. He pulled out a deck of cards.

"Playing cards? I thought you said 'serious'?" Iemitsu teased.

The mind games between Mukuro and Daemon started. Meanwhile, Iemitsu was kept busy with Daemon's ice clones.

Daemon wasn't expecting the intense Sun Flame bullets that punctured his heart.

Reborn stood at the entrance to the control room. A Leon shotgun in his hands. He glared at Daemon and coldly stated, "Give back the body, or die."

Daemon smirked. He thought it was a foolish venture to challenge him at this point.

Enma and Tsuna fell into the room. Behind them stood the imposing figures of three Vendice members.

"What?" Daemon asked in shock.

An unknown Flame burned around Tsuna. "You, Daemon, you're the one responsible for all of this," he muttered.

"Well, let me show you all my last card," Daemon stated.

"You mean, running away?" Tsuna snarked.

Daemon smirked. "Discretion is the better part of valor. I'll just come back to kill you guys in a few years."

Tsuna hurtled towards Daemon. The first punch was dodged, but the second, an uppercut, hit Daemon's jaw.

Daemon stopped possessing Oregano's body. His Night Flames opened a portal in front of him.

However, a Vendice appeared and crushed the portal between his fingers. "Entities without a body are not allowed to use the Eigth attribute Flame. That is law."

Tsuna shot off a Mini-X burner and hit Daemon. Several walls were destroyed.

The sad story of Elena and Daemon were told...and Daemon passed on.

Reborn immediately rushed over to Oregano and started healing her.

Iemitsu sighed. He then groaned, "The damage costs are going to be big. But more importantly...all the paperwork!"

XXX

Nono chuckled as he opened the small package from Iemitsu. The Sin vial lay innocently beside an envelope.

Dear Nono,

The people formerly after the vial, the Shimon Family, have been dealt with. It turns out that Daemon Spade was somehow still alive and was the mastermind behind all of it. The Shimon Family have become good allies and friends with Tsuna's group.

Sincerely,

Iemitsu, Vongola's Outside Advisor

XXX

Enma winced as Natsu's sharp claws dug through his shirt. Natsu licked Emma's hair, grooming it with lion slobber. "That tickles," the teenager lightly protested.

Tsuna walked in. "Hey, I'm back. I got Fritos, Cheetoes, Sun chips, Kit Kats, Reese's..." He put the pile of junk food on the table. Natsu jumped off of Emma's back and bumped his head against Tsuna's leg. "Hello Natsu."

"How's the construction going?" Enma asked. He popped open a bag of Sun chips.

"Alright. Fortunately, whatever insurance company my Dad uses for the mansion agreed to give us a large sum. The appraiser asked about whether someone had used explosives and if the swamp outside was intentional." Tsuna shrugged. He leaned forward and stole one of Emma's chips. Enma tried to swat Tsuna's hand, but was unsuccessful.

Enma glared as Tsuna took a dramatic victory bite from his stolen chip. "I hope you trip and fall on your face when your walking out."

"Enma, that's mean."

"So is stealing!"

XXX

The Inheritance Ceremony was today. Mafia from around the world had been invited.

Tsuna and his Guardians mingled with the crowd at the beginning. Various hands were shook and the members of different groups were met. Tsuna's head would have spun if he had tried to remember everyone's names.

The familiar people were the best.

A cheerful Dino wished Tsuna's good luck. The Varia showed up, a sullen Xanxus surprisingly present as well.

Tsuna intervened when a duo of assassins started insulting the Shimon Family to their face.

Finally, Tsuna and his Guardians entered another room and walked down a large red velvet carpet. At the the other ended, Nono and his Guardians stood.

A suit carried an ornate box on a cushion to Nono.

"We will now commence with the passing of the bottle, which is proof of the Vongola Boss. It will be passed on from Vongola Nono, to Vongola Decimo," Nono declared. The silence was held for several seconds, people in the pews looked around, the possibility of such a large gathering being attacked was not a far fecthed idea.

Nono opened the box lid and turned to Tsuna. "I give this to you, Vongola Decimo."

"Thank you, Vongola Nono." Tsuna accepted the box.

Everyone clapped and a few cheered. The next head of the Vongola had been chosen.

Fortunately, Tsuna didn't trip during the party after. Although, he did have to avoid Enma's attempts to trio him with a leg and ignore the sudden changes in gravity that affected his balance.

XXX

"As promised, you can use it." Tsuna dropped the Sin in Enma's hands.

"Thank you for trusting me. I'll give it back to you in a few days max," Enma promised.

"Yeah, just fill it back up with something. Uhh, go with water and a lot of red dye. That should work," Tsuna suggested.

Enma nodded.

XXX

Japan

Tsuna flinched as he heard the window open. He quickly pulled on his gloves and whirled around.

"Tsu-chan, I brought you Penalty. Since Enma-Chan got an upgrade, I thought you should too." Byakuran waved at Tsuna. In his other hand, a vial was held between his index and thumb. "You owe me a favor for this though," he added.

Tsuna smiled. "Thanks Byakuran."

XXX

Tsuna: Do you want to come over?

Tsuna: Mom has a new recipe she's trying out

Byakuran: I'll be right there

XXX

The event that put the tenth generation firmly into the radar of interpol was a trip to Lyon.

XXX

Lyon, France

Chrome smiled as she walked back to Lambo, I-Pin, Fran, and Fuuta. Five ice creams cones were carefully positioned in her hands. She gaped as she saw Lambo cry and reach into his afro. The child pulled out a pink grenade.

A passing policeman rushed over, panicked at the sight of a child holding a weapon.

And that's how the four ended up at the police station.

XXX

Hibird chirped 'Pineapple-head!' when he saw Mukuro that morning.

Mukuro lunged for the bird. Hibari blocked. Mukuro insulted Hibari. And that's how the two started fighting...in the middle of a street. Chunks of concrete flew through the air and onlookers would later swear they saw strange horrifying things.

Takeshi, Ryohei, and Gokudera tried to stop their fellow Guardians. To do so, they pulled out their weapons.

And that's how the five ended up at Interpol Headquarters.

XXX

Tsuna's phone vibrated. He picked it up. Chrome was calling him.

He was already putting his shoes on when he pressed the accept call button. "You're at the police station? Okay...how?" He grabbed his keys. "I'll be there in eight minutes."

XXX

"Hello, I'm Tsunayoshi Sawada. I'm here to pick up my siblings. I'm their acting guardian since my parents are in Italy."

"It says here that one of them had grenades. How do you explain that?" The cop asked.

"I'm so sorry. The pink grenades are toys." Tsuna smiled. Inside he was grimacing. He was confiscating all of Lambo's weapons after this. Even if it took eight hours searching though the weird pocket dimension that was Lambo's hair.

XXX

On the way back for the hotel, Tsuna's phone vibrated once again. This time it was Gokudera. He picked it up.

"You five are where?" Tsuna hissed, incredulous. "You've got to be kidding me." He merged into the right lane. "I'll be there in thirty minutes. Come up with a cover story and no traumatizing people."

Tsuna parked nearby the Interpol building. "Wait in the car," he ordered. "Chrome, you're in charge."

Twenty minutes later, Tsuna came back with two timid, one loud, and two annoyed Guardians. "Take a taxi, meet us at the hotel," he ordered.

Tsuna slid into his car. "Everyone still here?"

"Yeah, we're all here," Fuuta confirmed.

"Even Fran?"

"Yeah," Fran sourly admitted. He had wanted to get out but had been persuaded not to by Fuuta and Chrome.

XXX

Tsuna sighed. Gokudera, Ryohei, and Mukuro had gotten here and were waiting as well. Hibari and Takeshi had just been dropped off at the entrance and were walking towards the rest of their group.

Takeshi slapped Tsuna on the back. "Thanks for getting us out of there."

Basil pulled into the hotel parking lot, across from Tsuna's car. He stepped out of his jeep. Basil's tan jacket was buttoned up. Which meant he was here formally, not to hang out with them and have fun. Everyone felt a pervading sense of apprehension as Basil looked at them and immediately announced, "Your presence is requested back in Italy."

"Translation?" Fran asked.

"You're all in trouble," Basil dryly replied. "Big trouble."

XXX

Afterwards, Iemitsu harshly scolded Mukuro. For Mukuro, Iemitsu was the closest he ever got to a father. The Mist covered up the sinking stone in his heart from the rebuke, denied it more so. Regardless, Mukuro grew more self conscious of not causing trouble publicly.

Hibari was a different case, Iemitsu was unlikely to get through to the teenage Cloud. So, Iemitsu called Hibari's father and told his Cloud what happened. The bloodthirsty raven got summoned home, and was called out for 'acting idiotic' and 'not thinking of easily avoidable consequences'. Kyoya's punishment was not fighting criminals for three months and that during that time he would be taught meditation and anger management techniques by his uncle Fon.

Gokudera, Ryohei, and Takeshi were lightly reprimanded and taught multiple ways to restrain people.

Lambo and I-Pin were acquitted after Nana gave them a lecture on their behavior and the two children cried for several hours.

Fuuta, Fran, and Chrome were quickly pardoned and given tips on how to handle their younger siblings if they were fighting.

For a month, Tsuna gave the ones responsible for the trouble the work they hated most.

And Reborn held a three day (punishment) training camp, all those involved were 'invited'.

XXX

He wasn't good, he had done wrong, he had too much blood on his hands for that. He wasn't evil, he pushed for less cruel methods and managed Family affairs as kindly as he could afford to be.

Tsunayoshi Sawada was sometimes right and sometimes wrong. But he was always determined to do what was best in every situation, even if it was uncomfortable or felt harsh. And that made him a different breed than most.

In the history books of both criminals and law enforcement, Decimo was credited as the catalyst for the return of vigilantism in the Vongola Alliance. He was a pillar of tenacity, determined to change things, and refusing to compromise. Eventually, Tsunayoshi Sawada succeeded.

A/N

In Japan, high school is three years instead of four like in the West.

This story has taken five arcs, 20 chapters, and over two years. It's been a fun journey. A big thank you to all of my readers and my betas for the responses and help.

I will be posting a story called 'Before your time' focused on the past of Iemitsu (and some of Reborn's past as well), hopefully sometime during Spring 2019. It might be Summer 2019 if my partner almost works me to death during tournament season.

See you later!

-Silver


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